Natural transformation in Gram-negative bacteria thriving in extreme environments: from genes and genomes to proteins, structures and regulation

Averhoff, Beate; Kirchner, Lennart; Pfefferle, Katharina; Yaman, Deniz

doi:10.1007/s00792-021-01242-z

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 79 publications

(103 reference statements)

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“…The constant development of novel genetic tools for extremophilic archaea (Leigh et al 2011 ; Atomi et al 2012 ; Farkas et al 2013 ; Pfeifer et al 2021 ) and bacteria (Averhoff et al 2021 ) is particularly promising. Examples include genetic methods to manipulate thermophiles Pyrococcus furiosus and Thermococcus spp.…”

Section: Gene Discoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Extremophiles in a changing world

Cowan,

Albers,

Antranikian

et al. 2024

Extremophiles

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Extremophiles and their products have been a major focus of research interest for over 40 years. Through this period, studies of these organisms have contributed hugely to many aspects of the fundamental and applied sciences, and to wider and more philosophical issues such as the origins of life and astrobiology. Our understanding of the cellular adaptations to extreme conditions (such as acid, temperature, pressure and more), of the mechanisms underpinning the stability of macromolecules, and of the subtleties, complexities and limits of fundamental biochemical processes has been informed by research on extremophiles. Extremophiles have also contributed numerous products and processes to the many fields of biotechnology, from diagnostics to bioremediation. Yet, after 40 years of dedicated research, there remains much to be discovered in this field. Fortunately, extremophiles remain an active and vibrant area of research. In the third decade of the twenty-first century, with decreasing global resources and a steadily increasing human population, the world’s attention has turned with increasing urgency to issues of sustainability. These global concerns were encapsulated and formalized by the United Nations with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the presentation of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. In the run-up to 2030, we consider the contributions that extremophiles have made, and will in the future make, to the SDGs.

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Section: Gene Discoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Extremophiles in a changing world

Cowan,

Albers,

Antranikian

et al. 2024

Extremophiles

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“…Most transformable bacteria, both Gram-negative and Gram-positive, require type IIrelated secretion systems and type IV-like pilus structures for single-strand DNA (ssDNA) transport across the bacterial membrane [166,174].…”

Section: Transformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Horizontal Gene Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Biofilms

2023

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Most bacteria attach to biotic or abiotic surfaces and are embedded in a complex matrix which is known as biofilm. Biofilm formation is especially worrisome in clinical settings as it hinders the treatment of infections with antibiotics due to the facilitated acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Environmental settings are now considered as pivotal for driving biofilm formation, biofilm-mediated antibiotic resistance development and dissemination. Several studies have demonstrated that environmental biofilms can be hotspots for the dissemination of ARGs. These genes can be encoded on mobile genetic elements (MGEs) such as conjugative and mobilizable plasmids or integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs). ARGs can be rapidly transferred through horizontal gene transfer (HGT) which has been shown to occur more frequently in biofilms than in planktonic cultures. Biofilm models are promising tools to mimic natural biofilms to study the dissemination of ARGs via HGT. This review summarizes the state-of-the-art of biofilm studies and the techniques that visualize the three main HGT mechanisms in biofilms: transformation, transduction, and conjugation.

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“…Acinetobacter T4aP components are best characterized in the naturally transformable bacterium A. baylyi ADP1 (Fig 1A), and we used the protein set provided by Averhoff et al 2021 [46] to prime our analysis. We additionally considered the prepilin peptidase PilD because the corresponding gene is part of the pilBCD operon in A. baylyi, and because it is likely involved in T4aP biogenesis [40,41].…”

Section: Phylogenetic Profiles Of Type IV Pilus Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gene names are indicated within the boxes. The naming of A. baumannii genes follows[46] and the naming of P. aeruginosa genes follows[47]. Genes in the two species that are connected by two lines have been identified as orthologs (see Fig1Bin the main manuscript).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Feature architecture aware phylogenetic profiling indicates a functional diversification of type IVa pili in the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

Iruegas,

Pfefferle,

Göttig

et al. 2023

PLoS Genet

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The Gram-negative bacterial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii is a major cause of hospital-acquired opportunistic infections. The increasing spread of pan-drug resistant strains makes A. baumannii top-ranking among the ESKAPE pathogens for which novel routes of treatment are urgently needed. Comparative genomics approaches have successfully identified genetic changes coinciding with the emergence of pathogenicity in Acinetobacter. Genes that are prevalent both in pathogenic and a-pathogenic Acinetobacter species were not considered ignoring that virulence factors may emerge by the modification of evolutionarily old and widespread proteins. Here, we increased the resolution of comparative genomics analyses to also include lineage-specific changes in protein feature architectures. Using type IVa pili (T4aP) as an example, we show that three pilus components, among them the pilus tip adhesin ComC, vary in their Pfam domain annotation within the genus Acinetobacter. In most pathogenic Acinetobacter isolates, ComC displays a von Willebrand Factor type A domain harboring a finger-like protrusion, and we provide experimental evidence that this finger conveys virulence-related functions in A. baumannii. All three genes are part of an evolutionary cassette, which has been replaced at least twice during A. baumannii diversification. The resulting strain-specific differences in T4aP layout suggests differences in the way how individual strains interact with their host. Our study underpins the hypothesis that A. baumannii uses T4aP for host infection as it was shown previously for other pathogens. It also indicates that many more functional complexes may exist whose precise functions have been adjusted by modifying individual components on the domain level.

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Natural transformation in Gram-negative bacteria thriving in extreme environments: from genes and genomes to proteins, structures and regulation

Cited by 13 publications

References 79 publications

Extremophiles in a changing world

Extremophiles in a changing world

Horizontal Gene Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Biofilms

Feature architecture aware phylogenetic profiling indicates a functional diversification of type IVa pili in the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

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