scholarly journals A Conserved Class II Type Thioester Domain-Containing Adhesin Is Required for Efficient Conjugation in Bacillus subtilis

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
César Gago-Córdoba ◽  
Jorge Val-Calvo ◽  
David Abia ◽  
Alberto Díaz-Talavera ◽  
Andrés Miguel-Arribas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Recipient Cell ◽  
Class Ii ◽  
Pair Formation ◽  
Conjugative Plasmid ◽  
Mating Pair ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria

ABSTRACT Conjugation, the process by which a DNA element is transferred from a donor to a recipient cell, is the main horizontal gene transfer route responsible for the spread of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. Contact between a donor and a recipient cell is a prerequisite for conjugation, because conjugative DNA is transferred into the recipient via a channel connecting the two cells. Conjugative elements encode proteins dedicated to facilitating the recognition and attachment to recipient cells, also known as mating pair formation. A subgroup of the conjugative elements is able to mediate efficient conjugation during planktonic growth, and mechanisms facilitating mating pair formation will be particularly important in these cases. Conjugative elements of Gram-negative bacteria encode conjugative pili, also known as sex pili, some of which are retractile. Far less is known about mechanisms that promote mating pair formation in Gram-positive bacteria. The conjugative plasmid pLS20 of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis allows efficient conjugation in liquid medium. Here, we report the identification of an adhesin gene in the pLS20 conjugation operon. The N-terminal region of the adhesin contains a class II type thioester domain (TED) that is essential for efficient conjugation, particularly in liquid medium. We show that TED-containing adhesins are widely conserved in Gram-positive bacteria, including pathogens where they often play crucial roles in pathogenesis. Our study is the first to demonstrate the involvement of a class II type TED-containing adhesin in conjugation. IMPORTANCE Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a serious health care problem. The spread of antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria of the same or different species is often mediated by a process named conjugation, where a donor cell transfers DNA to a recipient cell through a connecting channel. The first step in conjugation is recognition and attachment of the donor to a recipient cell. Little is known about this first step, particularly in Gram-positive bacteria. Here, we show that the conjugative plasmid pLS20 of Bacillus subtilis encodes an adhesin protein that is essential for effective conjugation. This adhesin protein has a structural organization similar to adhesins produced by other Gram-positive bacteria, including major pathogens, where the adhesins serve in attachment to host tissues during colonization and infection. Our findings may thus also open novel avenues to design drugs that inhibit the spread of antibiotic resistance by blocking the first recipient-attachment step in conjugation.

scholarly journals In Vitro Characterization of the Bacillus subtilis Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase YwqE

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (10) ◽  
pp. 3384-3390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Mijakovic ◽  
Lucia Musumeci ◽  
Lutz Tautz ◽  
Dina Petranovic ◽  
Robert A. Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Tyrosine Phosphatase ◽  
Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases ◽  
Class Ii ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Protein Tyrosine ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
New Family ◽  
In Vitro Characterization

ABSTRACT Both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria possess protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) with a catalytic Cys residue. In addition, many gram-positive bacteria have acquired a new family of PTPs, whose first characterized member was CpsB from Streptococcus pneumoniae. Bacillus subtilis contains one such CpsB-like PTP, YwqE, in addition to two class II Cys-based PTPs, YwlE and YfkJ. The substrates for both YwlE and YfkJ are presently unknown, while YwqE was shown to dephosphorylate two phosphotyrosine-containing proteins implicated in UDP-glucuronate biosynthesis, YwqD and YwqF. In this study, we characterize YwqE, compare the activities of the three B. subtilis PTPs (YwqE, YwlE, and YfkJ), and demonstrate that the two B. subtilis class II PTPs do not dephosphorylate the physiological substrates of YwqE.

scholarly journals In SilicoEvidence for the Horizontal Transfer ofgsiB, a σΒ-Regulated Gene in Gram-Positive Bacteria, to Lactic Acid Bacteria

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (10) ◽  
pp. 3526-3531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioanna-Areti Asteri ◽  
Effrossyni Boutou ◽  
Rania Anastasiou ◽  
Bruno Pot ◽  
Constantinos E. Vorgias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Lactic Acid Bacteria ◽  
Horizontal Transfer ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Glucose Starvation ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
Inducible Protein

ABSTRACTgsiB, coding for glucose starvation-inducible protein B, is a characteristic member of the σΒstress regulon ofBacillus subtilisand several other Gram-positive bacteria. Here we providein silicoevidence for the horizontal transfer ofgsiBin lactic acid bacteria that are devoid of the σΒfactor.

scholarly journals A Novel Mobilizing Tool Based on the Conjugative Transfer System of the IncM Plasmid pCTX-M3

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Dmowski ◽  
Izabela Kern-Zdanowicz
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Lactococcus Lactis ◽  
Conjugative Transfer ◽  
Conjugation System ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
Mobilizable Plasmid

ABSTRACT Conjugative plasmids are the main players in horizontal gene transfer in Gram-negative bacteria. DNA transfer tools constructed on the basis of such plasmids enable gene manipulation even in strains of clinical or environmental origin, which are often difficult to work with. The conjugation system of the IncM plasmid pCTX-M3 isolated from a clinical strain of Citrobacter freundii has been shown to enable efficient mobilization of oriTpCTX-M3-bearing plasmids into a broad range of hosts comprising Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria. We constructed a helper plasmid, pMOBS, mediating such mobilization with an efficiency up to 1,000-fold higher than that achieved with native pCTX-M3. We also constructed Escherichia coli donor strains with chromosome-integrated conjugative transfer genes: S14 and S15, devoid of one putative regulator (orf35) of the pCTX-M3 tra genes, and S25 and S26, devoid of two putative regulators (orf35 and orf36) of the pCTX-M3 tra genes. Strains S14 and S15 and strains S25 and S26 are, respectively, up to 100 and 1,000 times more efficient in mobilization than pCTX-M3. Moreover, they also enable plasmid mobilization into the Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Lactococcus lactis. Additionally, the constructed E. coli strains carried no antibiotic resistance genes that are present in pCTX-M3 to facilitate manipulations with antibiotic-resistant recipient strains, such as those of clinical origin. To demonstrate possible application of the constructed tool, an antibacterial conjugation-based system was designed. Strain S26 was used for introduction of a mobilizable plasmid coding for a toxin, resulting in the elimination of over 90% of recipient E. coli cells. IMPORTANCE The conjugation of donor and recipient bacterial cells resulting in conjugative transfer of mobilizable plasmids is the preferred method enabling the introduction of DNA into strains for which other transfer methods are difficult to establish (e.g., clinical strains). We have constructed E. coli strains carrying the conjugation system of the IncM plasmid pCTX-M3 integrated into the chromosome. To increase the mobilization efficiency up to 1,000-fold, two putative regulators of this system, orf35 and orf36, were disabled. The constructed strains broaden the repertoire of tools for the introduction of DNA into the Gram-negative Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria, as well as into Gram-positive bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis and Lactococcus lactis. The antibacterial procedure based on conjugation with the use of the orf35- and orf36-deficient strain lowered the recipient cell number by over 90% owing to the mobilizable plasmid-encoded toxin.

scholarly journals Green Fluorescent Protein-Labeled Monitoring Tool To Quantify Conjugative Plasmid Transfer between Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria

2011 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 895-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karsten Arends ◽  
Katarzyna Schiwon ◽  
Türkan Sakinc ◽  
Johannes Hübner ◽  
Elisabeth Grohmann
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Conjugative Plasmid ◽  
Monitoring Tool ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
Plasmid Mobilization ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACTOn the basis of pIP501, a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged monitoring tool was constructed for quantifying plasmid mobilization among Gram-positive bacteria and between Gram-positiveEnterococcus faecalisand Gram-negativeEscherichia coli. Furthermore, retromobilization of the GFP-tagged monitoring tool was shown fromE. faecalisOG1X into the clinical isolateE. faecalisT9.

scholarly journals Conjugative Plasmid Transfer in Gram-Positive Bacteria

2003 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Grohmann ◽  
Günther Muth ◽  
Manuel Espinosa
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Plasmid Transfer ◽  
Translocator Protein ◽  
Conjugative Plasmid ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Secretion Systems ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Severe Problem ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria

SUMMARY Conjugative transfer of bacterial plasmids is the most efficient way of horizontal gene spread, and it is therefore considered one of the major reasons for the increase in the number of bacteria exhibiting multiple-antibiotic resistance. Thus, conjugation and spread of antibiotic resistance represents a severe problem in antibiotic treatment, especially of immunosuppressed patients and in intensive care units. While conjugation in gram-negative bacteria has been studied in great detail over the last decades, the transfer mechanisms of antibiotic resistance plasmids in gram-positive bacteria remained obscure. In the last few years, the entire nucleotide sequences of several large conjugative plasmids from gram-positive bacteria have been determined. Sequence analyses and data bank comparisons of their putative transfer (tra) regions have revealed significant similarities to tra regions of plasmids from gram-negative bacteria with regard to the respective DNA relaxases and their targets, the origins of transfer (oriT), and putative nucleoside triphosphatases NTP-ases with homologies to type IV secretion systems. In contrast, a single gene encoding a septal DNA translocator protein is involved in plasmid transfer between micelle-forming streptomycetes. Based on these clues, we propose the existence of two fundamentally different plasmid-mediated conjugative mechanisms in gram-positive microorganisms, namely, the mechanism taking place in unicellular gram-positive bacteria, which is functionally similar to that in gram-negative bacteria, and a second type that occurs in multicellular gram-positive bacteria, which seems to be characterized by double-stranded DNA transfer.

scholarly journals CodY Regulates Expression of the Bacillus subtilis Extracellular Proteases Vpr and Mpr

2015 ◽  
Vol 197 (8) ◽  
pp. 1423-1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Barbieri ◽  
Birgit Voigt ◽  
Dirk Albrecht ◽  
Michael Hecker ◽  
Alessandra M. Albertini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Proteolytic Enzymes ◽  
Transcriptional Regulator ◽  
Extracellular Proteases ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Regulatory Regions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
Peptide Transporters

ABSTRACTCodY is a global transcriptional regulator in low-G+C Gram-positive bacteria that is responsive to GTP and branched-chain amino acids. By interacting with its two cofactors, it is able to sense the nutritional and energetic status of the cell and respond by regulating expression of adaptive genetic programs. InBacillus subtilis, more than 200 genes, including those for peptide transporters, intracellular proteolytic enzymes, and amino acid degradative pathways, are controlled by CodY. In this study, we demonstrated that expression of two extracellular proteases, Vpr and Mpr, is negatively controlled by CodY. By gel mobility shift and DNase I footprinting assays, we showed that CodY binds to the regulatory regions of both genes, in the vicinity of their transcription start points. Themprgene is also characterized by the presence of a second, higher-affinity CodY-binding site located at the beginning of its coding sequence. Using strains carryingvpr- ormpr-lacZtranscriptional fusions in which CodY-binding sites were mutated, we demonstrated that repression of both protease genes is due to the direct effect by CodY and that themprinternal site is required for regulation. Thevprpromoter is a rare example of a sigma H-dependent promoter that is regulated by CodY. In acodYnull mutant, Vpr became one of the more abundant proteins of theB. subtilisexoproteome.IMPORTANCECodY is a global transcriptional regulator of metabolism and virulence in low-G+C Gram-positive bacteria. InB. subtilis, more than 200 genes, including those for peptide transporters, intracellular proteolytic enzymes, and amino acid degradative pathways, are controlled by CodY. However, no role forB. subtilisCodY in regulating expression of extracellular proteases has been established to date. In this work, we demonstrate that by binding to the regulatory regions of the corresponding genes,B. subtilisCodY negatively controls expression of Vpr and Mpr, two extracellular proteases. Thus, inB. subtilis, CodY can now be seen to regulate the entire protein utilization pathway.

scholarly journals Interdependent YpsA- and YfhS-Mediated Cell Division and Cell Size Phenotypes in Bacillus subtilis

mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Brzozowski ◽  
Brooke R. Tomlinson ◽  
Michael D. Sacco ◽  
Judy J. Chen ◽  
Anika N. Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Size ◽  
Unknown Function ◽  
Suppressor Mutation ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Suppressor Mutations ◽  
Extragenic Suppressor ◽  
Cell Division Inhibition

ABSTRACT Although many bacterial cell division factors have been uncovered over the years, evidence from recent studies points to the existence of yet-to-be-discovered factors involved in cell division regulation. Thus, it is important to identify factors and conditions that regulate cell division to obtain a better understanding of this fundamental biological process. We recently reported that in the Gram-positive organisms Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, increased production of YpsA resulted in cell division inhibition. In this study, we isolated spontaneous suppressor mutations to uncover critical residues of YpsA and the pathways through which YpsA may exert its function. Using this technique, we were able to isolate four unique intragenic suppressor mutations in ypsA (E55D, P79L, R111P, and G132E) that rendered the mutated YpsA nontoxic upon overproduction. We also isolated an extragenic suppressor mutation in yfhS, a gene that encodes a protein of unknown function. Subsequent analysis confirmed that cells lacking yfhS were unable to undergo filamentation in response to YpsA overproduction. We also serendipitously discovered that YfhS may play a role in cell size regulation. Finally, we provide evidence showing a mechanistic link between YpsA and YfhS. IMPORTANCE Bacillus subtilis is a rod-shaped Gram-positive model organism. The factors fundamental to the maintenance of cell shape and cell division are of major interest. We show that increased expression of ypsA results in cell division inhibition and impairment of colony formation on solid medium. Colonies that do arise possess compensatory suppressor mutations. We have isolated multiple intragenic (within ypsA) mutants and an extragenic suppressor mutant. Further analysis of the extragenic suppressor mutation led to a protein of unknown function, YfhS, which appears to play a role in regulating cell size. In addition to confirming that the cell division phenotype associated with YpsA is disrupted in a yfhS-null strain, we also discovered that the cell size phenotype of the yfhS knockout mutant is abolished in a strain that also lacks ypsA. This highlights a potential mechanistic link between these two proteins; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated.

scholarly journals Streptomycin-Induced Expression in Bacillus subtilis of YtnP, a Lactonase-Homologous Protein That Inhibits Development and Streptomycin Production in Streptomyces griseus

2011 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 599-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Schneider ◽  
Ana Yepes ◽  
Juan C. Garcia-Betancur ◽  
Isa Westedt ◽  
Benjamin Mielich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Streptomyces Griseus ◽  
Aerial Mycelium ◽  
Positive Bacterium ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Induced Expression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Homologous Protein

ABSTRACTBacillus subtilisinduces expression of the geneytnPin the presence of the antimicrobial streptomycin, produced by the Gram-positive bacteriumStreptomyces griseus.ytnPencodes a lactonase-homologous protein that is able to inhibit the signaling pathway required for the streptomycin production and development of aerial mycelium inS. griseus.

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