1
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Hu W, Huo X, Bai H, Chen Z, Zhang J, Yang H, Feng S. Insights into the complementation potential of the extreme acidophile's orthologue in replacing Escherichia coli hfq gene-particularly in bacterial resistance to environmental stress. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 40:105. [PMID: 38386219 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-024-03924-0] [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: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Acidithiobacillus caldus is a typical extreme acidophile widely used in the biohydrometallurgical industry, which often experiences extreme environmental stress in its natural habitat. Hfq, an RNA-binding protein, typically functions as a global regulator involved in various cellular physiological processes. Yet, the biological functions of Hfq derived from such extreme acidophile have not been extensively investigated. In this study, the recombinant strain Δhfq/Achfq, constructed by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated chromosome integration, fully or partially restored the phenotypic defects caused by hfq deletion in Escherichia coli, including impaired growth performance, abnormal cell morphology, impaired swarming motility, decreased stress resistance, decreased intracellular ATP and free amino acid levels, and attenuated biofilm formation. Particularly noteworthy, the intracellular ATP level and biofilm production of the recombinant strain were increased by 12.2% and 7.0%, respectively, compared to the Δhfq mutant. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that even under heterologous expression, AcHfq exerted global regulatory effects on multiple cellular processes, including metabolism, environmental signal processing, and motility. Finally, we established a potential working model to illustrate the regulatory mechanism of AcHfq in bacterial resistance to environmental stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Hu
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
- School of Life Sciences, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, Henan, China
| | - Xingyu Huo
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Haochen Bai
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Zongling Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianxin Zhang
- College of Fisheries, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, People's Republic of China
| | - Hailin Yang
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Shoushuai Feng
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, People's Republic of China.
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2
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Brantl S, Ul Haq I. Small proteins in Gram-positive bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2023; 47:fuad064. [PMID: 38052429 PMCID: PMC10730256 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad064] [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: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Small proteins comprising less than 100 amino acids have been often ignored in bacterial genome annotations. About 10 years ago, focused efforts started to investigate whole peptidomes, which resulted in the discovery of a multitude of small proteins, but only a number of them have been characterized in detail. Generally, small proteins can be either membrane or cytosolic proteins. The latter interact with larger proteins, RNA or even metal ions. Here, we summarize our current knowledge on small proteins from Gram-positive bacteria with a special emphasis on the model organism Bacillus subtilis. Our examples include membrane-bound toxins of type I toxin-antitoxin systems, proteins that block the assembly of higher order structures, regulate sporulation or modulate the RNA degradosome. We do not consider antimicrobial peptides. Furthermore, we present methods for the identification and investigation of small proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Brantl
- AG Bakteriengenetik, Matthias-Schleiden-Institut, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Philosophenweg 12, Jena D-07743, Germany
| | - Inam Ul Haq
- AG Bakteriengenetik, Matthias-Schleiden-Institut, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Philosophenweg 12, Jena D-07743, Germany
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3
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Anusha M, Tejaswini V, Udhaya Kumar S, Prashantha CN, Vasudevan K, George Priya Doss C. Gene network interaction analysis to elucidate the antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in the Clostridiumdifficile. Microb Pathog 2023; 178:106083. [PMID: 36958645 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance has caused chaos worldwide due to the depiction of multidrug-resistant (MDR) infective microorganisms. A thorough examination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes and associated resistant mechanisms is vital to solving this problem. Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is an opportunistic nosocomial bacterial strain that has acquired exogenous AMR genes that confer resistance to antimicrobials such as erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, rifampicin, moxifloxacin, fluoroquinolones, vancomycin, and others. A network of interactions, including 20 AMR genes, was created and analyzed. In functional enrichment analysis, Cellular components (CC), Molecular Functions (MF), and Biological Processes (BP) were discovered to have substantial involvement. Mutations in the rpl genes, which encode ribosomal proteins, confer resistance in Gram-positive bacteria. Full erythromycin and azithromycin cross-resistance can be conferred if more than one of the abovementioned genes is present. In the enriched BP, rps genes related to transcriptional regulation and biosynthesis were found. The genes belong to the rpoB gene family, which has previously been related to rifampicin resistance. The genes rpoB, gyrA, gyrB, rpoS, rpl genes, rps genes, and Van genes are thought to be the hub genes implicated in resistance in C. difficile. As a result, new medications could be developed using these genes. Overall, our observations provide a thorough understanding of C. difficile AMR mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Anusha
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, Bengaluru, 560064, India
| | - V Tejaswini
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, Bengaluru, 560064, India
| | - S Udhaya Kumar
- Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology, School of BioSciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India
| | - C N Prashantha
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, Bengaluru, 560064, India
| | - Karthick Vasudevan
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, Bengaluru, 560064, India.
| | - C George Priya Doss
- Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology, School of BioSciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India.
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4
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Kavita K, Zhang A, Tai CH, Majdalani N, Storz G, Gottesman S. Multiple in vivo roles for the C-terminal domain of the RNA chaperone Hfq. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:1718-1733. [PMID: 35104863 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Hfq, a bacterial RNA chaperone, stabilizes small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) and facilitates sRNA base-pairing with target mRNAs. Hfq has a conserved N-terminal domain and a poorly conserved disordered C-terminal domain (CTD). In a transcriptome-wide examination of the effects of a chromosomal CTD deletion (Hfq1-65), the Escherichia coli mutant was most defective for the accumulation of sRNAs that bind the proximal and distal faces of Hfq (Class II sRNAs), but other sRNAs also were affected. There were only modest effects on the levels of mRNAs, suggesting little disruption of sRNA-dependent regulation. However, cells expressing Hfq lacking the CTD in combination with a weak distal face mutation were defective for the function of the Class II sRNA ChiX and repression of mutS, both dependent upon distal face RNA binding. Loss of the region between amino acids 66-72 was critical for this defect. The CTD region beyond amino acid 72 was not necessary for distal face-dependent regulation, but was needed for functions associated with the Hfq rim, seen most clearly in combination with a rim mutant. Our results suggest that the C-terminus collaborates in various ways with different binding faces of Hfq, leading to distinct outcomes for individual sRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumari Kavita
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Aixia Zhang
- Cell Biology and Metabolism Program, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Chin-Hsien Tai
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nadim Majdalani
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gisela Storz
- Cell Biology and Metabolism Program, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Susan Gottesman
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
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5
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An RNA-centric global view of Clostridioides difficile reveals broad activity of Hfq in a clinically important gram-positive bacterium. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2103579118. [PMID: 34131082 PMCID: PMC8237595 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103579118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The gram-positive human pathogen Clostridioides difficile has emerged as the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. However, little is known about the bacterium's transcriptome architecture and mechanisms of posttranscriptional control. Here, we have applied transcription start site and termination mapping to generate a single-nucleotide-resolution RNA map of C. difficile 5' and 3' untranslated regions, operon structures, and noncoding regulators, including 42 sRNAs. Our results indicate functionality of many conserved riboswitches and predict cis-regulatory RNA elements upstream of multidrug resistance (MDR)-type ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and transcriptional regulators. Despite growing evidence for a role of Hfq in RNA-based gene regulation in C. difficile, the functions of Hfq-based posttranscriptional regulatory networks in gram-positive pathogens remain controversial. Using Hfq immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing of bound RNA species (RIP-seq), we identify a large cohort of transcripts bound by Hfq and show that absence of Hfq affects transcript stabilities and steady-state levels. We demonstrate sRNA expression during intestinal colonization by C. difficile and identify infection-related signals impacting its expression. As a proof of concept, we show that the utilization of the abundant intestinal metabolite ethanolamine is regulated by the Hfq-dependent sRNA CDIF630nc_085. Overall, our study lays the foundation for understanding clostridial riboregulation with implications for the infection process and provides evidence for a global role of Hfq in posttranscriptional regulation in a gram-positive bacterium.
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6
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Christopoulou N, Granneman S. The role of RNA-binding proteins in mediating adaptive responses in Gram-positive bacteria. FEBS J 2021; 289:1746-1764. [PMID: 33690958 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria are constantly subjected to stressful conditions, such as antibiotic exposure, nutrient limitation and oxidative stress. For pathogenic bacteria, adapting to the host environment, escaping defence mechanisms and coping with antibiotic stress are crucial for their survival and the establishment of a successful infection. Stress adaptation relies heavily on the rate at which the organism can remodel its gene expression programme to counteract the stress. RNA-binding proteins mediating co- and post-transcriptional regulation have recently emerged as important players in regulating gene expression during adaptive responses. Most of the research on these layers of gene expression regulation has been done in Gram-negative model organisms where, thanks to a wide variety of global studies, large post-transcriptional regulatory networks have been uncovered. Unfortunately, our understanding of post-transcriptional regulation in Gram-positive bacteria is lagging behind. One possible explanation for this is that many proteins employed by Gram-negative bacteria are not well conserved in Gram-positives. And even if they are conserved, they do not always play similar roles as in Gram-negative bacteria. This raises the important question whether Gram-positive bacteria regulate gene expression in a significantly different way. The goal of this review was to discuss this in more detail by reviewing the role of well-known RNA-binding proteins in Gram-positive bacteria and by highlighting their different behaviours with respect to some of their Gram-negative counterparts. Finally, the second part of this review introduces several unusual RNA-binding proteins of Gram-positive species that we believe could also play an important role in adaptive responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki Christopoulou
- Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sander Granneman
- Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
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7
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Boudry P, Piattelli E, Drouineau E, Peltier J, Boutserin A, Lejars M, Hajnsdorf E, Monot M, Dupuy B, Martin-Verstraete I, Gautheret D, Toffano-Nioche C, Soutourina O. Identification of RNAs bound by Hfq reveals widespread RNA partners and a sporulation regulator in the human pathogen Clostridioides difficile. RNA Biol 2021; 18:1931-1952. [PMID: 33629931 PMCID: PMC8583004 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2021.1882180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Noncoding RNAs (ncRNA) have emerged as important components of regulatory networks governing bacterial physiology and virulence. Previous deep-sequencing analysis identified a large diversity of ncRNAs in the human enteropathogen Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile. Some of them are trans-encoded RNAs that could require the RNA chaperone protein Hfq for their action. Recent analysis suggested a pleiotropic role of Hfq in C. difficile with the most pronounced effect on sporulation, a key process during the infectious cycle of this pathogen. However, a global view of RNAs interacting with C. difficile Hfq is missing. In the present study, we performed RNA immunoprecipitation high-throughput sequencing (RIP-Seq) to identify Hfq-associated RNAs in C. difficile. Our work revealed a large set of Hfq-interacting mRNAs and ncRNAs, including mRNA leaders and coding regions, known and potential new ncRNAs. In addition to trans-encoded RNAs, new categories of Hfq ligands were found including cis-antisense RNAs, riboswitches and CRISPR RNAs. ncRNA-mRNA and ncRNA-ncRNA pairings were postulated through computational predictions. Investigation of one of the Hfq-associated ncRNAs, RCd1, suggests that this RNA contributes to the control of late stages of sporulation in C. difficile. Altogether, these data provide essential molecular basis for further studies of post-transcriptional regulatory network in this enteropathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Boudry
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Emma Piattelli
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Emilie Drouineau
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Johann Peltier
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Anaïs Boutserin
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Maxence Lejars
- UMR8261, CNRS, Université de Paris, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Paris, France
| | - Eliane Hajnsdorf
- UMR8261, CNRS, Université de Paris, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Paris, France
| | - Marc Monot
- Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Biomics Platform, C2RT, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Dupuy
- Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Martin-Verstraete
- Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Daniel Gautheret
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Claire Toffano-Nioche
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Olga Soutourina
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
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8
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Lahiry A, Stimple SD, Wood DW, Lease RA. Retargeting a Dual-Acting sRNA for Multiple mRNA Transcript Regulation. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:648-658. [PMID: 28067500 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.6b00261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Multitargeting small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) represent a potentially useful tool for metabolic engineering applications. Natural multitargeting sRNAs govern bacterial gene expression by binding to the translation initiation regions of protein-coding mRNAs through base pairing. We designed an Escherichia coli based genetic system to create and assay dual-acting retargeted-sRNA variants. The variants can be assayed for coordinate translational regulation of two alternate mRNA leaders fused to independent reporter genes. Accordingly, we began with the well-characterized E. coli native DsrA sRNA. The merits of using DsrA include its well-characterized separation of function into two independently folded stem-loop domains, wherein alterations at one stem do not necessarily abolish activity at the other stem. Expression of the sRNA and each reporter mRNA was independently controlled by small inducer molecules, allowing precise quantification of the regulatory effects of each sRNA:mRNA interaction in vivo with a microtiter plate assay. Using this system, we semirationally designed DsrA variants screened in E. coli for their ability to regulate key mRNA leader sequences from the Clostridium acetobutylicum n-butanol synthesis pathway. To coordinate intervention at two points in a metabolic pathway, we created bifunctional sRNA prototypes by combining sequences from two singly retargeted DsrA variants. This approach constitutes a platform for designing sRNAs to specifically target arbitrary mRNA transcript sequences, and thus provides a generalizable tool for retargeting and characterizing multitarget sRNAs for metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwin Lahiry
- Department
of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, 484 W. 12th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Samuel D. Stimple
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 151 W. Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - David W. Wood
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 151 W. Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
- Department
of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, 484 W. 12th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Richard A. Lease
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 151 W. Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
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9
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Soutourina O. RNA-based control mechanisms of Clostridium difficile. Curr Opin Microbiol 2017; 36:62-68. [PMID: 28214735 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Clostridium difficile (CD)-associated diarrhoea is currently the most prevalent nosocomial diarrhoea worldwide. Many characteristics of CD pathogenicity remain poorly understood. Recent data strongly indicate the importance of an RNA network for the control of gene expression in CD. More than 200 regulatory RNAs have been identified by deep sequencing and targeted approaches, including Hfq-dependent trans riboregulators, cis-antisense RNAs, CRISPR RNAs, and c-di-GMP-responsive riboswitches. These regulatory RNAs are involved in the control of major processes in the CD infection cycle, for example motility, biofilm formation, adhesion, sporulation, stress response, and defence against bacteriophages. We will discuss recent advances in elucidation of the original features of RNA-based mechanisms in this important enteropathogen. This knowledge may pave the way for further discoveries in this emergent field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Soutourina
- Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Cellule Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France.
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10
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C-terminal domain of the RNA chaperone Hfq drives sRNA competition and release of target RNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E6089-E6096. [PMID: 27681631 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1613053113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The bacterial Sm protein and RNA chaperone Hfq stabilizes small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) and facilitates their annealing to mRNA targets involved in stress tolerance and virulence. Although an arginine patch on the Sm core is needed for Hfq's RNA chaperone activity, the function of Hfq's intrinsically disordered C-terminal domain (CTD) has remained unclear. Here, we use stopped flow spectroscopy to show that the CTD of Escherichia coli Hfq is not needed to accelerate RNA base pairing but is required for the release of dsRNA. The Hfq CTD also mediates competition between sRNAs, offering a kinetic advantage to sRNAs that contact both the proximal and distal faces of the Hfq hexamer. The change in sRNA hierarchy caused by deletion of the Hfq CTD in E. coli alters the sRNA accumulation and the kinetics of sRNA regulation in vivo. We propose that the Hfq CTD displaces sRNAs and annealed sRNA⋅mRNA complexes from the Sm core, enabling Hfq to chaperone sRNA-mRNA interactions and rapidly cycle between competing targets in the cell.
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11
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Cho C, Lee SY. Efficient gene knockdown inClostridium acetobutylicumby synthetic small regulatory RNAs. Biotechnol Bioeng 2016; 114:374-383. [DOI: 10.1002/bit.26077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2016] [Revised: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Changhee Cho
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Plus Program), Center for Systems and Synthetic Biotechnology, Institute for the BioCentury, KAIST; Daejeon 34141 Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Yup Lee
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Plus Program), Center for Systems and Synthetic Biotechnology, Institute for the BioCentury, KAIST; Daejeon 34141 Republic of Korea
- BioProcess Engineering Research Center; KAIST; Daejeon Republic of Korea
- BioInformatics Research Center; KAIST; Daejeon Republic of Korea
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12
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Zheng A, Panja S, Woodson SA. Arginine Patch Predicts the RNA Annealing Activity of Hfq from Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteria. J Mol Biol 2016; 428:2259-2264. [PMID: 27049793 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2016.03.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The Sm-protein Hfq facilitates interactions between small non-coding RNA (sRNA) and target mRNAs. In enteric Gram-negative bacteria, Hfq is required for sRNA regulation, and hfq deletion results in stress intolerance and reduced virulence. By contrast, the role of Hfq in Gram-positive is less established and varies among species. The RNA binding and RNA annealing activity of Hfq from Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus were compared using minimal RNAs and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show that RNA annealing activity increases with the number of arginines in a semi-conserved patch on the rim of the Hfq hexamer and correlates with the previously reported requirement for Hfq in sRNA regulation. Thus, the amino acid sequence of the arginine patch can predict the chaperone function of Hfq in sRNA regulation in different organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Zheng
- T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Subrata Panja
- T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
| | - Sarah A Woodson
- T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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13
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Bouloc P, Repoila F. Fresh layers of RNA-mediated regulation in Gram-positive bacteria. Curr Opin Microbiol 2016; 30:30-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2015.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Revised: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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14
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Updegrove TB, Zhang A, Storz G. Hfq: the flexible RNA matchmaker. Curr Opin Microbiol 2016; 30:133-138. [PMID: 26907610 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2016.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The RNA chaperone protein Hfq is critical to the function of small, base pairing RNAs in many bacteria. In the past few years, structures and modeling of wild type Hfq and assays of various mutants have documented that the homohexameric Hfq ring can contact RNA at four sites (proximal face, distal face, rim and C-terminal tail) and that different RNAs bind to these sites in various configurations. These studies together with novel in vitro and in vivo experimental approaches are beginning to give mechanistic insights into how Hfq acts to promote small RNA-mRNA pairing and indicate that flexibility is integral to the Hfq role in RNA matchmaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor B Updegrove
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, NICHD, National Institutes of Health, 18 Library Dr MSC 5430, Bethesda, MD 20892-5430, USA
| | - Aixia Zhang
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, NICHD, National Institutes of Health, 18 Library Dr MSC 5430, Bethesda, MD 20892-5430, USA
| | - Gisela Storz
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, NICHD, National Institutes of Health, 18 Library Dr MSC 5430, Bethesda, MD 20892-5430, USA.
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15
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Panda G, Tanwer P, Ansari S, Khare D, Bhatnagar R. Regulation and RNA-binding properties of Hfq-like RNA chaperones in Bacillus anthracis. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2015; 1850:1661-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2015.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 03/05/2015] [Accepted: 03/31/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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16
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Vrentas C, Ghirlando R, Keefer A, Hu Z, Tomczak A, Gittis AG, Murthi A, Garboczi DN, Gottesman S, Leppla SH. Hfqs in Bacillus anthracis: Role of protein sequence variation in the structure and function of proteins in the Hfq family. Protein Sci 2015; 24:1808-19. [PMID: 26271475 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Hfq proteins in Gram-negative bacteria play important roles in bacterial physiology and virulence, mediated by binding of the Hfq hexamer to small RNAs and/or mRNAs to post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. However, the physiological role of Hfqs in Gram-positive bacteria is less clear. Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, uniquely expresses three distinct Hfq proteins, two from the chromosome (Hfq1, Hfq2) and one from its pXO1 virulence plasmid (Hfq3). The protein sequences of Hfq1 and 3 are evolutionarily distinct from those of Hfq2 and of Hfqs found in other Bacilli. Here, the quaternary structure of each B. anthracis Hfq protein, as produced heterologously in Escherichia coli, was characterized. While Hfq2 adopts the expected hexamer structure, Hfq1 does not form similarly stable hexamers in vitro. The impact on the monomer-hexamer equilibrium of varying Hfq C-terminal tail length and other sequence differences among the Hfqs was examined, and a sequence region of the Hfq proteins that was involved in hexamer formation was identified. It was found that, in addition to the distinct higher-order structures of the Hfq homologs, they give rise to different phenotypes. Hfq1 has a disruptive effect on the function of E. coli Hfq in vivo, while Hfq3 expression at high levels is toxic to E. coli but also partially complements Hfq function in E. coli. These results set the stage for future studies of the roles of these proteins in B. anthracis physiology and for the identification of sequence determinants of phenotypic complementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Vrentas
- NIAID, National Institutes of Health (NIH), 33 North Drive, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Andrea Keefer
- NIAID, National Institutes of Health (NIH), 33 North Drive, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Zonglin Hu
- NIAID, National Institutes of Health (NIH), 33 North Drive, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Apostolos G Gittis
- Structural Biology Section, Research Technologies Branch, NIAID, NIH, Twinbrook II, 12441 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, Maryland
| | - Athulaprabha Murthi
- NIAID, National Institutes of Health (NIH), 33 North Drive, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - David N Garboczi
- Structural Biology Section, Research Technologies Branch, NIAID, NIH, Twinbrook II, 12441 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, Maryland
| | | | - Stephen H Leppla
- NIAID, National Institutes of Health (NIH), 33 North Drive, Bethesda, Maryland
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17
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Chaudhary AK, Na D, Lee EY. Rapid and high-throughput construction of microbial cell-factories with regulatory noncoding RNAs. Biotechnol Adv 2015; 33:914-30. [PMID: 26027891 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2015.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Revised: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Due to global crises such as pollution and depletion of fossil fuels, sustainable technologies based on microbial cell-factories have been garnering great interest as an alternative to chemical factories. The development of microbial cell-factories is imperative in cutting down the overall manufacturing cost. Thus, diverse metabolic engineering strategies and engineering tools have been established to obtain a preferred genotype and phenotype displaying superior productivity. However, these tools are limited to only a handful of genes with permanent modification of a genome and significant labor costs, and this is one of the bottlenecks associated with biofactory construction. Therefore, a groundbreaking rapid and high-throughput engineering tool is needed for efficient construction of microbial cell-factories. During the last decade, copious small noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been discovered in bacteria. These are involved in substantial regulatory roles like transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation by modulating mRNA elongation, stability, or translational efficiency. Because of their vulnerability, ncRNAs can be used as another layer of conditional control over gene expression without modifying chromosomal sequences, and hence would be a promising high-throughput tool for metabolic engineering. Here, we review successful design principles and applications of ncRNAs for high-throughput metabolic engineering or physiological studies of diverse industrially important microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar Chaudhary
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Gyeonggi-do 446-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Dokyun Na
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-756, Republic of Korea.
| | - Eun Yeol Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Gyeonggi-do 446-701, Republic of Korea.
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18
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Durand S, Tomasini A, Braun F, Condon C, Romby P. sRNA and mRNA turnover in Gram-positive bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2015; 39:316-30. [PMID: 25934118 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuv007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
It is widely recognized that RNA degradation plays a critical role in gene regulation when fast adaptation of cell growth is required to respond to stress and changing environmental conditions. Bacterial ribonucleases acting alone or in concert with various trans-acting regulatory factors are important mediators of RNA degradation. Here, we will give an overview of what is known about ribonucleases in several Gram-positive bacteria, their specificities and mechanisms of action. In addition, we will illustrate how sRNAs act in a coordinated manner with ribonucleases to regulate the turnover of particular mRNA targets, and the complex interplay existing between the ribosome, the ribonucleases and RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Durand
- CNRS FRE 3630 (affiliated with Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité), Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Tomasini
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IBMC, 15 rue René Descartes, F-67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Frédérique Braun
- CNRS FRE 3630 (affiliated with Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité), Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Ciarán Condon
- CNRS FRE 3630 (affiliated with Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité), Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Pascale Romby
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IBMC, 15 rue René Descartes, F-67084 Strasbourg, France
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Rochat T, Delumeau O, Figueroa-Bossi N, Noirot P, Bossi L, Dervyn E, Bouloc P. Tracking the Elusive Function of Bacillus subtilis Hfq. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0124977. [PMID: 25915524 PMCID: PMC4410918 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA-binding protein Hfq is a key component of the adaptive responses of many proteobacterial species including Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica and Vibrio cholera. In these organisms, the importance of Hfq largely stems from its participation to regulatory mechanisms involving small non-coding RNAs. In contrast, the function of Hfq in Gram-positive bacteria has remained elusive and somewhat controversial. In the present study, we have further addressed this point by comparing growth phenotypes and transcription profiles between wild-type and an hfq deletion mutant of the model Gram-positive bacterium, Bacillus subtilis. The absence of Hfq had no significant consequences on growth rates under nearly two thousand metabolic conditions and chemical treatments. The only phenotypic difference was a survival defect of B. subtilis hfq mutant in rich medium in stationary phase. Transcriptomic analysis correlated this phenotype with a change in the levels of nearly one hundred transcripts. Albeit a significant fraction of these RNAs (36%) encoded sporulation-related functions, analyses in a strain unable to sporulate ruled out sporulation per se as the basis of the hfq mutant’s stationary phase fitness defect. When expressed in Salmonella, B. subtilis hfq complemented the sharp loss of viability of a degP hfq double mutant, attenuating the chronic σE-activated phenotype of this strain. However, B. subtilis hfq did not complement other regulatory deficiencies resulting from loss of Hfq-dependent small RNA activity in Salmonella indicating a limited functional overlap between Salmonella and B. subtilis Hfqs. Overall, this study confirmed that, despite structural similarities with other Hfq proteins, B. subtilis Hfq does not play a central role in post-transcriptional regulation but might have a more specialized function connected with stationary phase physiology. This would account for the high degree of conservation of Hfq proteins in all 17 B. subtilis strains whose genomes have been sequenced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Rochat
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, F-91405, Orsay, France; INRA, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, F-78352, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Olivier Delumeau
- INRA, UMR1319 Micalis, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France; AgroParisTech, UMR Micalis, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Nara Figueroa-Bossi
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, F-91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Philippe Noirot
- INRA, UMR1319 Micalis, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France; AgroParisTech, UMR Micalis, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Lionello Bossi
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, F-91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Etienne Dervyn
- INRA, UMR1319 Micalis, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France; AgroParisTech, UMR Micalis, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Philippe Bouloc
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, F-91405, Orsay, France
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20
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Pleiotropic role of the RNA chaperone protein Hfq in the human pathogen Clostridium difficile. J Bacteriol 2014; 196:3234-48. [PMID: 24982306 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01923-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is an emergent human pathogen and the most common cause of nosocomial diarrhea. Our recent data strongly suggest the importance of RNA-based mechanisms for the control of gene expression in C. difficile. In an effort to understand the function of the RNA chaperone protein Hfq, we constructed and characterized an Hfq-depleted strain in C. difficile. Hfq depletion led to a growth defect, morphological changes, an increased sensitivity to stresses, and a better ability to sporulate and to form biofilms. The transcriptome analysis revealed pleiotropic effects of Hfq depletion on gene expression in C. difficile, including genes encoding proteins involved in sporulation, stress response, metabolic pathways, cell wall-associated proteins, transporters, and transcriptional regulators and genes of unknown function. Remarkably, a great number of genes of the regulon dependent on sporulation-specific sigma factor, SigK, were upregulated in the Hfq-depleted strain. The altered accumulation of several sRNAs and interaction of Hfq with selected sRNAs suggest potential involvement of Hfq in these regulatory RNA functions. Altogether, these results suggest the pleiotropic role of Hfq protein in C. difficile physiology, including processes important for the C. difficile infection cycle, and expand our knowledge of Hfq-dependent regulation in Gram-positive bacteria.
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