scholarly journals Attenuated enzootic (pestoides) isolates of Yersinia pestis express active aspartase

Microbiology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 155 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott W. Bearden ◽  
Christopher Sexton ◽  
Joshua Pare ◽  
Janet M. Fowler ◽  
Cindy G. Arvidson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yersinia Pestis ◽  
Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis ◽  
Amino Acid Position ◽  
Enzymic Activity ◽  
Broad Host Range ◽  
Missense Mutations ◽  
Tissue Invasion ◽  
Muroid Rodents ◽  
Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Reduced Activity

It is established that Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic plague, recently evolved from enteropathogenic Yersinia pseudotuberculosis by undergoing chromosomal degeneration while acquiring two unique plasmids that facilitate tissue invasion (pPCP) and dissemination by fleabite (pMT). Thereafter, plague bacilli spread from central Asia to sylvatic foci throughout the world. These epidemic isolates exhibit a broad host range including man as opposed to enzootic (pestoides) variants that remain in ancient reservoirs where infection is limited to muroid rodents. Cells of Y. pseudotuberculosis are known to express glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Zwf) and aspartase (AspA); these activities are not detectable in epidemic Y. pestis due to missense mutations (substitution of proline for serine at amino position 155 of Zwf and leucine for valine at position 363 of AspA). In this study, functional Zwf was found in pestoides strains E, F and G but not seven other enzootic isolates; enzymic activity was associated with retention of serine at amino acid position 155. Essentially, full AspA activity occurred in pestoides isolates where valine (pestoides A, B, C and D) or serine (pestoides E, F, G and I) occupied position 363. Reduced activity occurred in strains Angola and A16, which contained phenylalanine at this position. The k cat but not K m of purified AspA from strain Angola was significantly reduced. In this context, aspA of the recently described attenuated enzootic microtus biovar encodes active valine at position 363, further indicating that functional AspA is a biomarker for avirulence of Y. pestis in man.

scholarly journals Presence of Chromosomal crpP-like Genes Is Not Always Associated with Ciprofloxacin Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clinical Isolates Recovered in ICU Patients from Portugal and Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 388
Author(s):  
Marta Hernández-García ◽  
María García-Castillo ◽  
Sergio García-Fernández ◽  
Diego López-Mendoza ◽  
Jazmín Díaz-Regañón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Resistance Mechanism ◽  
Amino Acid Position ◽  
Genomic Islands ◽  
Missense Mutations ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Surveillance Studies ◽  
Ciprofloxacin Resistance ◽  
Chromosomal Mutations

CrpP enzymes have been recently described as a novel ciprofloxacin-resistance mechanism. We investigated by whole genome sequencing the presence of crpP-genes and other mechanisms involved in quinolone resistance in MDR/XDR-Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates (n = 55) with both ceftolozane-tazobactam susceptible or resistant profiles recovered from intensive care unit patients during the STEP (Portugal) and SUPERIOR (Spain) surveillance studies. Ciprofloxacin resistance was associated with mutations in the gyrA and parC genes. Additionally, plasmid-mediated genes (qnrS2 and aac(6′)-Ib-cr) were eventually detected. Ten chromosomal crpP-like genes contained in related pathogenicity genomic islands and 6 different CrpP (CrpP1-CrpP6) proteins were found in 65% (36/55) of the isolates. Dissemination of CrpP variants was observed among non-related clones of both countries, including the CC175 (Spain) high-risk clone and CC348 (Portugal) clone. Interestingly, 5 of 6 variants (CrpP1-CrpP5) carried missense mutations in an amino acid position (Gly7) previously defined as essential conferring ciprofloxacin resistance, and decreased ciprofloxacin susceptibility was only associated with the novel CrpP6 protein. In our collection, ciprofloxacin resistance was mainly due to chromosomal mutations in the gyrA and parC genes. However, crpP genes carrying mutations essential for protein function (G7, I26) and associated with a restored ciprofloxacin susceptibility were predominant. Despite the presence of crpP genes is not always associated with ciprofloxacin resistance, the risk of emergence of novel CrpP variants with a higher ability to affect quinolones is increasing. Furthermore, the spread of crpP genes in highly mobilizable genomic islands among related and non-related P. aeruginosa clones alert the dispersion of MDR pathogens in hospital settings.

Effective discrimination of Yersinia pestis and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis by MALDI-TOF MS using multivariate analysis

Talanta ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 122640
Author(s):  
Bin Feng ◽  
Liyuan Shi ◽  
Haipeng Zhang ◽  
Haimei Shi ◽  
Chuanfan Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Yersinia Pestis ◽  
Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis ◽  
Maldi Tof Ms ◽  
Maldi Tof ◽  
Tof Ms

scholarly journals The Importance of the Small RNA Chaperone Hfq for Growth of Epidemic Yersinia pestis, but Not Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, with Implications for Plague Biology

2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (16) ◽  
pp. 4239-4245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangchun Bai ◽  
Andrey Golubov ◽  
Eric A. Smith ◽  
Kathleen A. McDonough
Keyword(s):  
Yersinia Pestis ◽  
Small Rna ◽  
Small Rnas ◽  
Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
Growth Restriction ◽  
Rna Chaperone ◽  
Unique Biology ◽  
Severe Growth

ABSTRACT Yersinia pestis, the etiologic agent of plague, has only recently evolved from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. hfq deletion caused severe growth restriction at 37°C in Y. pestis but not in Y. pseudotuberculosis. Strains from all epidemic plague biovars were similarly affected, implicating Hfq, and likely small RNAs (sRNAs), in the unique biology of the plague bacillus.

scholarly journals A quadruplex real-time PCR assay for the detection of Yersinia pestis and its plasmids

2008 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvin Stewart ◽  
Benjamin Satterfield ◽  
Marissa Cohen ◽  
Kim O'Neill ◽  
Richard Robison
Keyword(s):  
Yersinia Pestis ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis ◽  
Target Sequence ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Virulence Plasmids ◽  
Taqman Probes ◽  
Sporadic Disease

Yersinia pestis, the aetiological agent of the plague, causes sporadic disease in endemic areas of the world and is classified as a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Category A Priority Pathogen because of its potential to be used as a bioweapon. Health departments, hospitals and government agencies need the ability to rapidly identify and characterize cultured isolates of this bacterium. Assays have been developed to perform this function; however, they are limited in their ability to distinguish Y. pestis from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. This report describes the creation of a real-time PCR assay using Taqman probes that exclusively identifies Y. pestis using a unique target sequence of the yihN gene on the chromosome. As with other Y. pestis PCR assays, three major genes located on each of the three virulence plasmids were included: lcrV on pCD1, caf1 on pMT1 and pla on pPCP1. The quadruplex assay was validated on a collection of 192 Y. pestis isolates and 52 near-neighbour isolates. It was discovered that only 72 % of natural plague isolates from the states of New Mexico and Utah harboured all three virulence plasmids. This quadruplex assay proved to be 100 % successful in differentiating Y. pestis from all near neighbours tested and was able to reveal which of the three virulence plasmids a particular isolate possessed.

scholarly journals Identification of gmhA, a Yersinia pestis Gene Required for Flea Blockage, by Using a Caenorhabditis elegans Biofilm System

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 7236-7242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Creg Darby ◽  
Sandya L. Ananth ◽  
Li Tan ◽  
B. Joseph Hinnebusch
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Yersinia Pestis ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Transposon Insertion ◽  
Insertion Mutants ◽  
Random Screening

ABSTRACT Yersinia pestis, the cause of bubonic plague, blocks feeding by its vector, the flea. Recent evidence indicates that blockage is mediated by an in vivo biofilm. Y. pestis and the closely related Yersinia pseudotuberculosis also make biofilms on the cuticle of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which block this laboratory animal's feeding. Random screening of Y. pseudotuberculosis transposon insertion mutants with a C. elegans biofilm assay identified gmhA as a gene required for normal biofilms. gmhA encodes phosphoheptose isomerase, an enzyme required for synthesis of heptose, a conserved component of lipopolysaccharide and lipooligosaccharide. A Y. pestis gmhA mutant was constructed and was severely defective for C. elegans biofilm formation and for flea blockage but only moderately defective in an in vitro biofilm assay. These results validate use of the C. elegans biofilm system to identify genes and pathways involved in Y. pestis flea blockage.

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