scholarly journals Fast Mechanically Driven Daughter Cell Separation Is Widespread in Actinobacteria

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxue Zhou ◽  
David K. Halladin ◽  
Julie A. Theriot
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Separation ◽  
Daughter Cell ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Video Microscopy ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cell Shapes ◽  
Daughter Cell Separation

ABSTRACT Dividing cells of the coccoid Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus undergo extremely rapid (millisecond) daughter cell separation (DCS) driven by mechanical crack propagation, a strategy that is very distinct from the gradual, enzymatically driven cell wall remodeling process that has been well described in several rod-shaped model bacteria. To determine if other bacteria, especially those in the same phylum ( Firmicutes ) or with similar coccoid shapes as S. aureus , might use a similar mechanically driven strategy for DCS, we used high-resolution video microscopy to examine cytokinesis in a phylogenetically wide range of species with various cell shapes and sizes. We found that fast mechanically driven DCS is rather rare in the Firmicutes (low G+C Gram positives), observed only in Staphylococcus and its closest coccoid relatives in the Macrococcus genus, and we did not observe this division strategy among the Gram-negative Proteobacteria . In contrast, several members of the high-G+C Gram-positive phylum Actinobacteria ( Micrococcus luteus , Brachybacterium faecium , Corynebacterium glutamicum , and Mycobacterium smegmatis ) with diverse shapes ranging from coccoid to rod all undergo fast mechanical DCS during cell division. Most intriguingly, similar fast mechanical DCS was also observed during the sporulation of the actinobacterium Streptomyces venezuelae . IMPORTANCE Much of our knowledge on bacterial cytokinesis comes from studying rod-shaped model organisms such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis . Less is known about variations in this process among different bacterial species. While cell division in many bacteria has been characterized to some extent genetically or biochemically, few species have been examined using video microscopy to uncover the kinetics of cytokinesis and daughter cell separation (DCS). In this work, we found that fast (millisecond) DCS is exhibited by species in two independent clades of Gram-positive bacteria and is particularly prevalent among the Actinobacteria , a diverse group that includes significant pathogens as well as bacteria that generate medically important antibiotics.

scholarly journals The Development of an Effective Bacterial Single-Cell Lysis Method Suitable for Whole Genome Amplification in Microfluidic Platforms

Micromachines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuguang Liu ◽  
Dirk Schulze-Makuch ◽  
Jean-Pierre de Vera ◽  
Charles Cockell ◽  
Thomas Leya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Cell Manipulation ◽  
Microfluidic Platforms ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Genome Amplification ◽  
Single Cell Sequencing ◽  
Wide Range

Single-cell sequencing is a powerful technology that provides the capability of analyzing a single cell within a population. This technology is mostly coupled with microfluidic systems for controlled cell manipulation and precise fluid handling to shed light on the genomes of a wide range of cells. So far, single-cell sequencing has been focused mostly on human cells due to the ease of lysing the cells for genome amplification. The major challenges that bacterial species pose to genome amplification from single cells include the rigid bacterial cell walls and the need for an effective lysis protocol compatible with microfluidic platforms. In this work, we present a lysis protocol that can be used to extract genomic DNA from both gram-positive and gram-negative species without interfering with the amplification chemistry. Corynebacterium glutamicum was chosen as a typical gram-positive model and Nostoc sp. as a gram-negative model due to major challenges reported in previous studies. Our protocol is based on thermal and chemical lysis. We consider 80% of single-cell replicates that lead to >5 ng DNA after amplification as successful attempts. The protocol was directly applied to Gloeocapsa sp. and the single cells of the eukaryotic Sphaerocystis sp. and achieved a 100% success rate.

scholarly journals Structure and Functional Regulation of RipA, a Mycobacterial Enzyme Essential for Daughter Cell Separation

Structure ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 1184-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessia Ruggiero ◽  
Daniela Marasco ◽  
Flavia Squeglia ◽  
Silvia Soldini ◽  
Emilia Pedone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Separation ◽  
Daughter Cell ◽  
Functional Regulation ◽  
Daughter Cell Separation

scholarly journals A Universal, Genomewide GuideFinder for CRISPR/Cas9 Targeting in Microbial Genomes

mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Spoto ◽  
Changhui Guan ◽  
Elizabeth Fleming ◽  
Julia Oh
Keyword(s):  
Gene Function ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Essential Gene ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Bacterial Genome ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Bacterial Genomes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
User Friendly

ABSTRACT The CRISPR/Cas system has significant potential to facilitate gene editing in a variety of bacterial species. CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) represent modifications of the CRISPR/Cas9 system utilizing a catalytically inactive Cas9 protein for transcription repression and activation, respectively. While CRISPRi and CRISPRa have tremendous potential to systematically investigate gene function in bacteria, few programs are specifically tailored to identify guides in draft bacterial genomes genomewide. Furthermore, few programs offer open-source code with flexible design parameters for bacterial targeting. To address these limitations, we created GuideFinder, a customizable, user-friendly program that can design guides for any annotated bacterial genome. GuideFinder designs guides from NGG protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) sites for any number of genes by the use of an annotated genome and FASTA file input by the user. Guides are filtered according to user-defined design parameters and removed if they contain any off-target matches. Iteration with lowered parameter thresholds allows the program to design guides for genes that did not produce guides with the more stringent parameters, one of several features unique to GuideFinder. GuideFinder can also identify paired guides for targeting multiplicity, whose validity we tested experimentally. GuideFinder has been tested on a variety of diverse bacterial genomes, finding guides for 95% of genes on average. Moreover, guides designed by the program are functionally useful—focusing on CRISPRi as a potential application—as demonstrated by essential gene knockdown in two staphylococcal species. Through the large-scale generation of guides, this open-access software will improve accessibility to CRISPR/Cas studies of a variety of bacterial species. IMPORTANCE With the explosion in our understanding of human and environmental microbial diversity, corresponding efforts to understand gene function in these organisms are strongly needed. CRISPR/Cas9 technology has revolutionized interrogation of gene function in a wide variety of model organisms. Efficient CRISPR guide design is required for systematic gene targeting. However, existing tools are not adapted for the broad needs of microbial targeting, which include extraordinary species and subspecies genetic diversity, the overwhelming majority of which is characterized by draft genomes. In addition, flexibility in guide design parameters is important to consider the wide range of factors that can affect guide efficacy, many of which can be species and strain specific. We designed GuideFinder, a customizable, user-friendly program that addresses the limitations of existing software and that can design guides for any annotated bacterial genome with numerous features that facilitate guide design in a wide variety of microorganisms.

scholarly journals Mechanical crack propagation drives millisecond daughter cell separation in Staphylococcus aureus

Science ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 348 (6234) ◽  
pp. 574-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Zhou ◽  
D. K. Halladin ◽  
E. R. Rojas ◽  
E. F. Koslover ◽  
T. K. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Cell Separation ◽  
Daughter Cell ◽  
Mechanical Crack ◽  
Daughter Cell Separation

scholarly journals The SPOR Domain, a Widely Conserved Peptidoglycan Binding Domain That Targets Proteins to the Site of Cell Division

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Yahashiri ◽  
Matthew A. Jorgenson ◽  
David S. Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Cell Separation ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Target Proteins ◽  
Bacterial Proteins ◽  
Binding Domains ◽  
Division Site ◽  
Daughter Cell Separation

ABSTRACT Sporulation-related repeat (SPOR) domains are small peptidoglycan (PG) binding domains found in thousands of bacterial proteins. The name “SPOR domain” stems from the fact that several early examples came from proteins involved in sporulation, but SPOR domain proteins are quite diverse and contribute to a variety of processes that involve remodeling of the PG sacculus, especially with respect to cell division. SPOR domains target proteins to the division site by binding to regions of PG devoid of stem peptides (“denuded” glycans), which in turn are enriched in septal PG by the intense, localized activity of cell wall amidases involved in daughter cell separation. This targeting mechanism sets SPOR domain proteins apart from most other septal ring proteins, which localize via protein-protein interactions. In addition to SPOR domains, bacteria contain several other PG-binding domains that can exploit features of the cell wall to target proteins to specific subcellular sites.

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