scholarly journals Localized Reversible Frameshift Mutation in theflhA Gene Confers Phase Variability to Flagellin Gene Expression in Campylobacter coli

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon F. Park ◽  
Desmond Purdy ◽  
Stephen Leach
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Frameshift Mutation ◽  
Phase Variation ◽  
Campylobacter Coli ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Generate Functional ◽  
Flagellin Gene ◽  
Homopolymeric Tract ◽  
Insertion And Deletion

ABSTRACT Phase variation of flagellin gene expression in Campylobacter coli UA585 was correlated with high-frequency, reversible insertion and deletion frameshift mutations in a short homopolymeric tract of thymine residues located in the N-terminal coding region of the flhA gene. Mutation-based phase variation inflhA may generate functional diversity in the host and environment.

scholarly journals No Change, No Life? What We Know about Phase Variation in Staphylococcus aureus

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 244
Author(s):  
Vishal Gor ◽  
Ryosuke L. Ohniwa ◽  
Kazuya Morikawa
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Phase Variation ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms

Phase variation (PV) is a well-known phenomenon of high-frequency reversible gene-expression switching. PV arises from genetic and epigenetic mechanisms and confers a range of benefits to bacteria, constituting both an innate immune strategy to infection from bacteriophages as well as an adaptation strategy within an infected host. PV has been well-characterized in numerous bacterial species; however, there is limited direct evidence of PV in the human opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. This review provides an overview of the mechanisms that generate PV and focuses on earlier and recent findings of PV in S. aureus, with a brief look at the future of the field.

scholarly journals Multiple Mechanisms of Phase Variation of PorA inNeisseria meningitidis

2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 6685-6690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arie van der Ende ◽  
Carla T. P. Hopman ◽  
Jacob Dankert
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Phase Variation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Homopolymeric Tract ◽  
Single Base ◽  
Base Pair Deletion ◽  
Single Base Pair

ABSTRACT Previously, we reported that PorA expression in Neisseria meningitidis is modulated by variation in the length of the homopolymeric tract of guanidine residues between the −35 and −10 regions of the promoter or by deletion of porA. To reveal additional mechanisms of variation in PorA expression, the meningococcal isolates from 41 patients and 19 carriers were studied. In addition, at least 3 meningococcal isolates from different body parts of each of 11 patients were analyzed. Sequence analysis of theporA promoter showed that the spacer between the −35 and −10 regions varies in length between 14 and 24 bp. PorA expression was observed in strains with a porA promoter spacer of 16 to 24 bp. All but one strain with a porA promoter spacer of 16 to 20 bp and undetectable PorA expression have a homopolymeric tract of 8 or 6 instead of 7 adenine residues in the porA coding region. The other PorA-negative strain had a single-base-pair deletion in the coding region. The highest level of PorA expression was observed in strains with a promoter spacer of 17 or 18 bp. PorA expression was reduced twofold in strains with a porA promoter spacer of 16 or 19 bp. Strains with a 16-bp promoter spacer with substitutions in the polyguanidine tract displayed increased levels of PorA expression compared to strains with a homopolymeric tract of guanidine residues in the porA promoter. In conclusion, meningococci display multiple mechanisms for varying PorA expression.

scholarly journals Removal of Frameshift Intermediates by Mismatch Repair Proteins inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 4766-4773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Harfe ◽  
Sue Jinks-Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Mismatch Repair ◽  
Frameshift Mutation ◽  
Intermediate Structure ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Template Strand ◽  
Insertion And Deletion ◽  
Transient Intermediate

Frameshift mutations occur when the coding region of a gene is altered by addition or deletion of a number of base pairs that is not a multiple of three. The occurrence of a deletion versus an insertion type of frameshift depends on the nature of the transient intermediate structure formed during DNA synthesis. Extrahelical bases on the template strand give rise to deletions, whereas extrahelical bases on the strand being synthesized produce insertions. We previously used reversion of a +1 frameshift mutation to analyze the role of the mismatch repair (MMR) machinery in correcting −1 frameshift intermediates within a defined region of the yeastLYS2gene. In this study, we have used reversion of a −1 frameshift mutation within the same region ofLYS2to analyze the role of the MMR machinery in the correction of frameshift intermediates that give rise to insertion events. We found that insertion and deletion events occur at similar rates but that the reversion spectra are very different in both the wild-type and MMR-defective backgrounds. In addition, analysis of the +1 spectra revealed novel roles for Msh3p and Msh6p in removing specific types of frameshift intermediates.

scholarly journals Assessing evidence for adaptive evolution in two hearing-related genes important for high-frequency hearing in echolocating mammals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Wang ◽  
Hanbo Zhao ◽  
Yujia Chu ◽  
Jiang Feng ◽  
Keping Sun
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Evolution ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Outer Hair Cells ◽  
Functional Domain ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Parts

Abstract High-frequency hearing is particularly important for echolocating bats and toothed whales. Previously, studies of the hearing-related genes Prestin, KCNQ4, and TMC1 documented that adaptive evolution of high-frequency hearing has taken place in echolocating bats and toothed whales. In this study, we present two additional candidate hearing-related genes, Shh and SK2, that may also have contributed to the evolution of echolocation in mammals. Shh is a member of the vertebrate Hedgehog gene family and is required in the specification of the mammalian cochlea. SK2 is expressed in both inner and outer hair cells, and it plays an important role in the auditory system. The coding region sequences of Shh and SK2 were obtained from a wide range of mammals with and without echolocating ability. The topologies of phylogenetic trees constructed using Shh and SK2 were different; however, multiple molecular evolutionary analyses showed that those two genes experienced different selective pressures in echolocating bats and toothed whales compared to non-echolocating mammals. In addition, several nominally significant positively selected sites were detected in the non-functional domain of the SK2 gene, indicating that different selective pressures were acting on different parts of the SK2 gene. This study has expanded our knowledge of the adaptive evolution of high-frequency hearing in echolocating mammals.

scholarly journals Woot, an Active Gypsy-Class Retrotransposon in the Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum, is Associated With a Recent Mutation

Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
pp. 417-426
Author(s):  
Richard W Beeman ◽  
M Scott Thomson ◽  
John M Clark ◽  
Marco A DeCamillis ◽  
Susan J Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Tribolium Castaneum ◽  
Frameshift Mutation ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Red Flour Beetle ◽  
Intron Sequence ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Long Terminal Repeats ◽  
Flour Beetle ◽  
Reading Frames

Abstract A recently isolated, lethal mutation of the homeotic Abdominal gene of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum is associated with an insertion of a novel retrotransposon into an intron. Sequence analysis indicates that this retrotransposon, named Woot, is a member of the gypsy family of mobile elements. Most strains of T. castaneum appear to harbor ~25-35 copies of Woot per genome. Woot is composed of long terminal repeats of unprecedented length (3.6 kb each), flanking an internal coding region 5.0 kb in length. For most copies of Woot, the internal region includes two open reading frames (ORFs) that correspond to the gag and pol genes of previously described retrotransposons and retroviruses. The copy of Woot inserted into Abdominal bears an apparent single frameshift mutation that separates the normal second ORF into two. Woot does not appear to generate infectious virions by the criterion that no envelop gene is discernible. The association of Woot with a recent mutation suggests that this retroelement is currently transpositionally active in at least some strains.

scholarly journals Estimating the predictive power of silent mutations on cancer classification and prognosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tal Gutman ◽  
Guy Goren ◽  
Omri Efroni ◽  
Tamir Tuller
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Predictive Ability ◽  
Cancer Classification ◽  
Silent Mutation ◽  
Cancer Type ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Probability Of Survival ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis ◽  
Cancer Types

AbstractIn recent years it has been shown that silent mutations, in and out of the coding region, can affect gene expression and may be related to tumorigenesis and cancer cell fitness. However, the predictive ability of these mutations for cancer type diagnosis and prognosis has not been evaluated yet. In the current study, based on the analysis of 9,915 cancer genomes and approximately three million mutations, we provide a comprehensive quantitative evaluation of the predictive power of various types of silent and non-silent mutations over cancer classification and prognosis. The results indicate that silent-mutation models outperform the equivalent null models in classifying all examined cancer types and in estimating the probability of survival 10 years after the initial diagnosis. Additionally, combining both non-silent and silent mutations achieved the best classification results for 68% of the cancer types and the best survival estimation results for up to nine years after the diagnosis. Thus, silent mutations hold considerable predictive power over both cancer classification and prognosis, most likely due to their effect on gene expression. It is highly advised that silent mutations are integrated in cancer research in order to unravel the full genomic landscape of cancer and its ramifications on cancer fitness.

scholarly journals Aspergillus nidulans wetA activates spore-specific gene expression.

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Marshall ◽  
W E Timberlake
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Aspergillus Nidulans ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Vegetative Cells ◽  
Mutant Strains ◽  
Late Stages

The Aspergillus nidulans wetA gene is required for synthesis of cell wall layers that make asexual spores (conidia) impermeable. In wetA mutant strains, conidia take up water and autolyze rather than undergoing the final stages of maturation. wetA is activated during conidiogenesis by sequential expression of the brlA and abaA regulatory genes. To determine whether wetA regulates expression of other sporulation-specific genes, its coding region was fused to a nutritionally regulated promoter that permits gene activation in vegetative cells (hyphae) under conditions that suppress conidiation. Expression of wetA in hyphae inhibited growth and caused excessive branching. It did not lead to activation of brlA or abaA but did cause accumulation of transcripts from genes that are normally expressed specifically during the late stages of conidiation and whose mRNAs are stored in mature spores. Thus, wetA directly or indirectly regulates expression of some spore-specific genes. At least one gene (wA), whose mRNA does not occur in spores but rather accumulates in the sporogenous phialide cells, was activated by wetA, suggesting that wetA may have a regulatory function in these cells as well as in spores. We propose that wetA is responsible for activating a set of genes whose products make up the final two conidial wall layers or direct their assembly and through this activity is responsible for acquisition of spore dormancy.

scholarly journals Significant contribution of the CmeABC Efflux pump in high-level resistance to ciprofloxacin and tetracycline in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli clinical isolates

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Sharifi ◽  
Bita Bakhshi ◽  
Shahin Najar-peerayeh
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Point Mutation ◽  
Campylobacter Jejuni ◽  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Efflux Pump ◽  
Campylobacter Coli ◽  
Rapd Pcr ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
High Level ◽  
Level Resistance

Abstract Background Campylobacter resistance to antimicrobial agents is regarded as a major concern worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of the CmeABC efflux pump and the RAPD-PCR pattern in drug-resistant Campylobacter isolates. Methods A total of 283 stool specimens were collected from children under the age of five with diarrhea. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of tetracycline and ciprofloxacin was determined by broth microdilution method and E-test, respectively. Detection of tetracycline and ciprofloxacin determinants was done by amplification of tetO gene and PCR-sequencing of the gyrA gene. The cmeABC transcriptional expression was analyzed by Real-time (RT)-PCR. Clonal correlation of resistant strains was determined by RAPD-PCR genotyping. Results Out of 283 fecal samples, 20 (7.02%) samples were positive for Campylobacter spp. Analysis of duplex PCR assay of the cadF gene showed that 737 and 461 bp amplicons were corresponding to Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, respectively. All of the 17 phenotypically tetracycline-resistant Campylobacter isolates harbored the tetO gene. Also, four phenotypically ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter isolates had a point mutation at codon 257 of the gyrA gene (ACA to ATA; Thr > Ile). High-level expression of the cmeA gene was observed in ciprofloxacin-resistant and high-level tetracycline-resistant Campylobacter isolates, suggesting a positive correlation between the cmeA gene expression level and tetracycline resistance level. Moreover, a statistically significant difference was observed in the cmeA gene expression between ciprofloxacin-resistant and ciprofloxacin-susceptible strains, which signifies the crucial contribution of the efflux pump in conferring multiple drug resistance phenotype among Campylobacter spp. RAPD analysis of Campylobacter isolates exhibited 16 different patterns. Simpsone`s diversity index of RAPD-PCR was calculated as 0.85, showing a high level of homogeneity among the population; however, no clear correlation was detected among tetracycline and/or ciprofloxacin resistant isolates. Conclusion Significant contribution of the CmeABC efflux pump in conferring high-level resistance to tetracycline and ciprofloxacin was observed in C. jejuni and C. coli clinical isolates. The resistant phenotype is suggested to be mediated by CmeABC efflux pumps, the tetO gene, and point mutation of the gyrA gene. Genotyping revealed no clonal correlation among resistant strains, indicating distinct evolution of tetracycline and ciprofloxacin resistant genotypes among the isolates.

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