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Identification of novel mutations in LprG (rv1411c), rv0521, rv3630, rv0010c, ppsC, cyp128 associated with pyrazinoic acid/pyrazinamide resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

There is currently considerable interest in understanding the mechanisms of action of pyrazinamide (PZA), a critical frontline tuberculosis (TB) drug that plays a unique role in shortening TB therapy due to its unique activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis persisters that are not killed by other TB drugs.1,2 Despite the importance of PZA in the treatment of both drug susceptible and drug-resistant TB and its simple structure, its mechanisms of action are complex and are not well understood.1,2 PZA is a prodrug that is converted to the active form pyrazinoic acid (POA) by nicotinamidase/pyrazinamidase (PZase) encoded by the pncA gene,3 whose mutation is the most common mechanism of PZA resistance in M. tuberculosis.3-5 However, some low level PZA-resistant strains (MIC=200-300 g/ml, pH6.0) do not have mutations in the pncA gene.5,6 Recent studies have identified rpsA, which encodes the ribosomal protein S1 involved in both translation and trans-translation process, as a target of PZA,7 where its mutations are associated with PZA resistance from clinical isolates. In addition, mutations in panD encoding aspartate decarboxylase were identified as a new mechanism of PZA resistance from in vitro mutants resistant to PZA and the PanD protein was found to be another target of PZA.8,9 panD mutations were initially found in mutants resistant to PZA 8 and then in mutants resistant to POA. 9,10 It is worth noting that previously POA-resistant mutants could not be isolated at acid pH which is required for higher activity of PZA against M. tuberculosis. However, we were able to successfully isolate POA-resistant mutants with high POA concentrations at close to neutral pH (pH 6.8),9 which led to discovery of new genes involved in POA and PZA resistance. For example, clpC1, which was also isolated from mutants resistant to PZA,11 was identified in mutants resistant to POA.12

microbiology

Molecular determinants of Yellow Fever Virus pathogenicity in Syrian Golden Hamsters: one mutation away from virulence

Yellow fever virus (Flavivirus genus) is an arthropod-borne pathogen which can infect humans, causing a severe viscerotropic disease with a high mortality rate. Adapted viral strains allow the reproduction of yellow fever disease in hamsters with features similar to the human disease. Here, we used the Infectious Subgenomic Amplicons reverse genetics method to produce an equivalent to the hamster-virulent strain, Yellow Fever Ap7, by introducing a set of 4 synonymous and 6 non-synonymous mutations into a single subgenomic amplicon, derived from the sequence of the Asibi strain. The resulting strain, Yellow Fever Ap7M, induced a disease similar to that described for Ap7 in terms of symptoms, weight evolution, viral loads in the liver and lethality. Using the same methodology, we produced mutant strains derived from either Ap7M or Asibi viruses and investigated the role of each of Ap7M non-synonymous mutations in its in vivo phenotype. This allowed identifying key components of the virulence mechanism in hamsters. In Ap7M virus, the reversion of either E/Q27H or E/D155A mutations, led to an important reduction of both virulence and in vivo replicative fitness. In addition, the introduction of the single D155A Ap7M mutation within the E protein of the Asibi virus was sufficient to drastically modify its phenotype in hamsters towards both a greater replication efficiency and virulence. Finally, inspection of the Asibi strain E protein structure combined to in vivo testing revealed the importance of an exposed -helix in domain I, containing residues 154 and 155, for Ap7M virulence in hamsters.

microbiology

Homologous recombination and transposon propagation shapes the population structure of an organism from the deep subsurface with minimal metabolism

DPANN archaea are primarily known based on genomes from metagenomes and single cells. We reconstructed a complete population genome for Candidatus \"Forterrea\", a Diapherotrite with a predicted symbiotic lifestyle probably centered around nucleotide metabolism and RuBisCO. Genome-wide analysis of sequence variation provided insights into the processes that shape its population structure in the deep subsurface. The genome contains many transposons, yet reconstruction of a complete genome from a short-read insert dataset was possible because most occurred only in some individuals. Accuracy of the final reconstruction could be verified because the genome displays the pattern of cumulative GC skew known for some archaea but more typically associated with bacteria. Sequence variation is highly localized, and most pronounced around transposons and relatively close to the origin of replication. Patterns of variation are best explained by homologous recombination, a process previously not described for DPANN archaea.

microbiology

Identification of human vaccinees that possess antibodies targeting the egg-adapted hemagglutinin receptor binding site of an H1N1 influenza vaccine strain

Human influenza viruses passaged in eggs often acquire mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) receptor binding site (RBS). To determine if egg-adapted H1N1 vaccines commonly elicit antibodies targeting the egg-adapted RBS of HA, we completed hemagglutinin-inhibition assays with A/California/7/2009 HA and egg-adapted A/California/7/2009-X-179A HA using sera collected from 159 humans vaccinated with seasonal influenza vaccines during the 2015-16 season. We found that ~5% of participants had [≥]4-fold higher antibody titers to the egg-adapted viral strain compared to wild type viral strain. We used reverse-genetics to demonstrate that a single egg-adapted HA RBS mutation (Q226R) was responsible for this phenotype.

microbiology

Metagenomic analysis uncovers strong relationship between periodontal pathogens and vascular dysfunction in American Indian population

Periodontal disease (PD) is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) but the casual relationship is unclear. American Indians/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) have high rate of both PD and CVD and a better understanding of how PD might affect heart health would be particularly helpful in this population. In this study, we sequenced the bacterial biofilms of periodontal (gum) pockets and used metagenomic sequencing and vascular health measurements (immune cytokine profiles and vascular flow) to determine the relationship of microbial pathogens and CVD. Twelve subjects were sequenced before and after standard periodontal treatment. Other measures taken before and after treatment included a full dental screening; serum concentration of key immune cytokines from blood samples; lipid profiles from fasting venous blood; and plasma glucose concentrations. The non-invasive Laser Doppler Fluxmetry (LDF) procedure was conducted to measures the microvascular vasodilation. We found highly significant relationships between the total abundance of 4 periodontal pathogens, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola, and the inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1 beta (IL-1{beta}) (r=0.63; p=0.009) as well as with vascular flow post sodium nitroprusside (SNP) treatment (r=p=0.006). Two bacterial species that correlated most with IL-1{beta} were F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis. IL-1{beta} has been strongly implicated as a causal factor in atherosclerosis and in periodontal bone loss. To our knowledge, this is the first direct link between abundance of specific periodontal pathogens and cardiovascular disease in humans, and suggests that these pathogens could be used as warning signs for cardiovascular risk.

microbiology

Differential Antiviral Activities of RSV Inhibitors in Human Airway Epithelium

We report the use of reconstituted 3D-human airway epithelium cells of bronchial origin (HuAEC) in an air-liquid interface to study respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and to assess the efficacy of RSV inhibitors in (pre-)clinical development. RSV-A replicates efficiently in HuAEC and viral RNA is shed for weeks after infection. RSV infection reduces the ciliary beat frequency of the ciliated cells as of 4 days post infection, with complete ciliary dyskinesia observed by day 10. Treatment with RSV fusion inhibitors resulted in an antiviral effect only when added at the time of infection. In contrast, the use of replication inhibitors (both nucleoside and non-nucleosides) elicited a marked antiviral effect even when start of treatment was delayed until one or even three days after infection. Levels of the inflammation marker RANTES (mRNA) increased [~]200-fold in infected-untreated cultures (at three weeks post infection), but levels were comparable to those of uninfected cultures in the presence of PC-876, a RSV-replication inhibitor, demonstrating that an efficient antiviral treatment inhibits virus induced inflammation in this model. Overall, HuAEC offer a robust and physiologically relevant model to study RSV replication and to assess the efficacy of antiviral compounds.

microbiology

Virulence evolution in the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Bacterial opportunistic pathogens are feared for their difficult-to-treat nosocomial infections and for causing morbidity in immunocompromised patients. Here, we study how such a versatile opportunist, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, adapts to conditions inside and outside its model host Caenorhabditis elegans, and use phenotypic and genotypic screens to identify the mechanistic basis of virulence evolution. We found that virulence significantly dropped in unstructured environments both in the presence and absence of the host, but remained unchanged in spatially structured environments. Reduction of virulence was either driven by a substantial decline in the production of siderophores (in treatments without hosts) or toxins and proteases (in treatments with hosts). Whole-genome sequencing of evolved clones revealed positive selection and parallel evolution across replicates, and showed an accumulation of mutations in regulator genes controlling virulence factor expression. Our study identifies the spatial structure of the non-host environment as a key driver of virulence evolution in an opportunistic pathogen.

microbiology

Metabolic mechanisms of interaction within a defined gut microbiota

Metabolic interactions among species are ubiquitous in nature, and the fitness costs and benefits they impose often reinforce and stabilize them over time. These interactions are of particular importance in the human gut, where they have functions ranging from enhancing digestion to preventing (or exacerbating) infections. The diversity and sheer number of species present lead to the potential for a multitude of metabolic interactions among species to occur. However, identifying the mechanism and consequences of metabolic interactions between even two species is incredibly challenging. Here, we develop, apply, and experimentally test a framework for identifying potential metabolic mechanisms associated with interspecies interactions. We perform pairwise growth and metabolome profiling of co-cultures of strains from the altered Schaedler flora (ASF), a defined murine microbiota. We then apply our novel framework, which we call the Constant Yield Expectation (ConYE) model, to dissect emergent metabolic behaviors that occur in co-culture. Using the ConYE model, we identify and interrogate an amino acid cross-feeding interaction that is likely to confer a growth benefit to one ASF strain (Clostridium sp. ASF356) in co-culture with another strain (Parabacteroides goldsteinii ASF519). We experimentally validate that the proposed interaction leads to a growth benefit for this strain via media supplementation experiments. Our results reveal the type and extent of emergent metabolic behavior in microbial communities and demonstrate how metabolomic data can be used to identify potential metabolic interactions between organisms such as gut microbes. Our in vitro characterization of the ASF strains and interactions between them also enhances our ability to interpret and design experiments that utilize ASF-colonized animals. We anticipate that this work will improve the tractability of studies utilizing mice colonized with the ASF. Here, we focus on growth-modulating interactions, but the framework we develop can be applied to generate specific hypotheses about mechanisms of interspecies interaction involved in any phenotype of interest within a microbial community.

microbiology

Metagenomics reveals diet-specific specialization in fungus gardens of grass- and dicot-cutter ants

Leaf-cutter ants in the genus Atta are dominant herbivores in the Neotropics. While most species of Atta cut dicots to incorporate into their fungus gardens, some species specialize on grasses. Here we examine the bacterial community associated with the fungus gardens of grass- and dicot-cutter ants to examine how changes in substrate input affect the bacterial community. We sequenced the metagenomes of 12 Atta fungus gardens, across four species of ants, with a total of 5.316 Gbp of sequence data. We show significant differences in the fungus garden bacterial community composition between dicot- and grass-cutter ants, with grass-cutter ants having lower diversity. Reflecting this difference in community composition, the bacterial functional profiles between the fungus gardens are significantly different. Specifically, grass-cutter ant fungus garden metagenomes are particularly enriched for genes responsible for amino acid, siderophore, and terpenoid biosynthesis while dicot-cutter ant fungus gardens metagenomes are enriched in genes involved in membrane transport. These differences in bacterial community composition and functional capacity show that different substrate inputs matter for fungus garden bacteria, and sheds light on the potential role of bacteria in mediating the ants transition to the use of a novel substrate.

microbiology

Staphylococcus aureus toxin LukSF dissociates from its membrane receptor target to enable renewed ligand sequestration

backgroundStaphylococcus aureus Panton Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) is a pore-forming toxin targeting the human C5a receptor (hC5aR), enabling this pathogen to battle the immune response by destroying phagocytes through targeted lysis. The mechanisms that contribute to rapid cell lysis are largely unexplored.\n\nResultsHere we show that cell lysis may be enabled by a process of toxins targeting receptor clusters and receptor recycling which allows multiple toxin pores to be formed close together. Using live cell single-molecule super-resolution imaging, Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and nanoscale total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) colocalization microscopy we visualized toxin pore formation in the presence of its natural docking ligand.\n\nConclusionsWe demonstrate disassociation of hC5aR from toxin complexes and simultaneous binding of new ligands. This effect may free mobile receptors to amplify hyper inflammatory reactions in early stages of microbial infections and have implications for several other similar bi-component toxins and the design of new antibiotics.

microbiology

Whole genome sequencing for predicting Mycobacterium abscessus drug susceptibility

Mycobacterium abscessus is emerging as an important pathogen in chronic lung diseases with concern regarding patient to patient transmission. The recent introduction of routine whole genome sequencing (WGS) as a replacement for existing reference techniques in England provides an opportunity to characterise the genetic determinants of resistance. We conducted a systematic review to catalogue all known resistance determining mutations. This knowledge was used to construct a predictive algorithm based on mutations in the erm(41) and rrl genes which was tested on a collection of 203 sequentially acquired clinical isolates for which there was paired genotype/phenotype data. A search for novel resistance determining mutations was conducted using an heuristic algorithm.\n\nThe sensitivity of existing knowledge for predicting resistance in clarithromycin was 95% (95% CI 89 - 98%) and the specificity was 66% (95% CI 54 - 76%). Subspecies alone was a poor predictor of resistance to clarithromycin. Eight potential new resistance conferring SNPs were identified. WGS demonstrates probable resistance determining SNPs in regions the NTM-DR line probe cannot detect. These mutations are potentially clinically important as they all occurred in samples predicted to be inducibly resistant, and for which a macrolide would therefore currently be indicated. We were unable to explain all resistance, raising the possibility of the involvement of other as yet unidentified genes.

microbiology

EssC is a specificity determinant for Staphylococcus aureus type VII secretion

The Type VII protein secretion system (T7SS) is found in actinobacteria and firmicutes, and plays important roles in virulence and interbacterial competition. A membrane-bound ATPase protein, EssC in Staphylococcus aureus, lies at the heart of the secretion machinery. The EssC protein from S. aureus strains can be grouped into four variants (EssC1-EssC4) that display sequence variability in the C-terminal region. Here we show that the EssC2, EssC3 and EssC4 variants can be produced in a strain deleted for essC1 and that they are able to mediate secretion of EsxA, an essential component of the secretion apparatus. They are, however, unable to support secretion of the substrate protein EsxC, which is encoded only in essC1-specific strains. This finding indicates that EssC is a specificity determinant for T7 protein secretion. Our results support a model where the C-terminal domain of EssC interacts with substrate proteins whereas EsxA interacts elsewhere.

microbiology

Control of artefactual variation in reported inter-sample relatedness during clinical use of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis sequencing pipeline

Contact tracing requires reliable identification of closely related bacterial isolates. When we noticed the reporting of artefactual variation between M. tuberculosis isolates during routine next generation sequencing of Mycobacterium spp, we investigated its basis in 2,018 consecutive M. tuberculosis isolates. In the routine process used, clinical samples were decontaminated and inoculated into broth cultures; from positive broth cultures DNA was extracted, sequenced, reads mapped, and consensus sequences determined. We investigated the process of consensus sequence determination, which selects the most common nucleotide at each position. Having determined the high-quality read depth and depth of minor variants across 8,006 M. tuberculosis genomic regions, we quantified the relationship between the minor variant depth and the amount of non-Mycobacterial bacterial DNA, which originates from commensal microbes killed during sample decontamination. In the presence of non-Mycobacterial bacterial DNA, we found significant increases in minor variant frequencies of more than 1.5 fold in 242 regions covering 5.1% of the M. tuberculosis genome. Included within these were four high variation regions strongly influenced by the amount of non-Mycobacterial bacterial DNA. Excluding these four regions from pairwise distance comparisons reduced biologically implausible variation from 5.2% to 0% in an independent validation set derived from 226 individuals. Thus, we have demonstrated an approach identifying critical genomic regions contributing to clinically relevant artefactual variation in bacterial similarity searches. The approach described monitors the outputs of the complex multi-step laboratory and bioinformatics process, allows periodic process adjustments, and will have application to quality control of routine bacterial genomics.

microbiology

Physiological and transcriptional response of the diatom Corethron hystrix under robust UVR irradiation

The effect of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on photosynthetic efficiency and the resulting mechanisms against UV exposure employed by phytoplankton are not completely understood. To address this knowledge gap, we developed a novel close-coupled, wavelength-configurable platform designed to produce precise and repeatable in vitro irradiation of Corethron hystrix, a member of a genera found abundantly in the Southern Ocean where UV exposure is high. We aimed to determine its metabolic, protective, mutative, and repair mechanisms as a function of varying levels of specific electromagnetic energy. Our results show that the physiological responses to each energy level of UV have a negative linear decrease in the photosynthetic efficiency of photosystem II proportional to UV intensity, corresponding to a large increase in the turnover time of quinone re-oxidation. Gene expression changes of photosystem II related reaction center proteins D1, CP43 and CP47 showed coordinated downregulation whereas the central metabolic pathway demonstrated mixed expression of up and downregulated transcripts after UVR exposure. These results suggest that while UVR may damage photosynthetic machinery, oxidative damage may limit production of new photosynthetic and electron transport complexes as a result of UVR exposure.

microbiology

A quantitative evaluation of MIRU-VNTR typing against whole-genome sequencing for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission: A prospective observational cohort study

SummaryO_ST_ABSBackgroundC_ST_ABSMycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit-Variable Number Tandem Repeat (MIRU-VNTR) typing is widely used in high-income countries for Mycobacterium tuberculosis typing. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is known to deliver greater specificity, but no quantitative prospective comparison has yet been undertaken.\n\nMethodsWe studied isolates from the English Midlands, sampled consecutively between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2015. In addition to routinely performed MIRU-VNTR typing, DNA was extracted from liquid cultures and sequenced using Illumina technology. Demographic and epidemiological data were extracted from the Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance system maintained by Public Health England. Closely related samples, defined using a threshold of five single nucleotide variants (SNVs), were compared to samples with identical MIRU-VNTR profiles, with shared epidemiological risk factors, and to those with both characteristics.\n\nFindings1,999 patients were identified for whom at least one M. tuberculosis isolate had been MIRU-VNTR typed and sequenced. Comparing epidemiological risk factors with close genetic relatedness, only coresidence had a positive predictive value of over 5%. Excluding co-resident individuals, 18.6% of patients with identical MIRU-VNTR profiles were within 5 SNVs. Where patients also shared social risk factors and ethnic group, this rose to 48%. Only 8% of MIRU-VNTR linked pairs in lineage 1 were within 5 SNV, compared to 31% in lineage 4.\n\nInterpretationIn the setting studied, MIRU-VNTR typing and epidemiological risk factors are poorly predictive of close genomic relatedness, assessed by SNV. MIRU-VNTR performance varies markedly by lineage.\n\nFundingPublic Health England, National Institute of Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

microbiology

Metabarcoding analysis on European coastal samples reveals new molecular metazoan diversity

Although animals are among the best studied organisms, we still lack a full description of their diversity, especially for microscopic taxa. This is partly due to the time-consuming and costly nature of surveying animal diversity through morphological and molecular studies of individual taxa. A powerful alternative is the use of high-throughput environmental sequencing, providing molecular data from all organisms sampled. We here address the unknown diversity of animal phyla in marine environments using an extensive dataset designed to assess eukaryotic ribosomal diversity among European coastal locations. A multi-phylum assessment of marine animal diversity that includes water column and sediments, oxic and anoxic environments, and both DNA and RNA templates, revealed a high percentage of novel 18S rRNA sequences in most phyla, suggesting that marine environments have not yet been fully sampled at a molecular level. This novelty is especially high among Platyhelminthes, Acoelomorpha, and Nematoda, which are well studied from a morphological perspective and abundant in benthic environments. We also identified based on molecular data a potentially novel group of widespread tunicates. Moreover, we recovered a high number of reads for Ctenophora and Cnidaria in the smaller fractions suggesting their gametes might play a greater ecological role than previously suspected.

microbiology

Natural Secretory Immunoglobulins Enhance Norovirus Infection

Secretory immunoglobulins (SIg) are a first line of mucosal defense by the host. They are secreted into the gut lumen via the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) where they bind to antigen and are transported back across the FAE via M cells. Noroviruses are highly prevalent, enteric pathogens that cause significant morbidity, mortality and economic losses worldwide. Murine norovirus (MNV) exploits microfold (M) cells to cross the lymphoid follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) and infect the underlying population of immune cells. However, whether natural, innate SIg can protect against norovirus infection remains unknown. To investigate the role of natural SIg during murine norovirus pathogenesis, we used pIgR-deficient animals, which lack SIg in the intestinal lumen. Contrary to other enteric pathogens, acute MNV replication was significantly reduced in the gastrointestinal tract of pIgR-deficient animals compared to controls, despite increased numbers of dendritic cells, macrophages, and B cells in the Peyers patch, established MNV target cell types. Also, natural SIg did not alter MNV FAE binding or FAE crossing into the lymphoid follicle. Instead, further analysis revealed enhanced baseline levels of the antiviral molecules interferon gamma (IFN{gamma}) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the small intestine of naive pIgR-deficient animals compared to controls. Removing the microbiota equalized IFN{gamma} and iNOS transcript levels as well as MNV viral loads in germ-free pIgR KO mice compared to germ-free controls. These data are consistent with a model whereby SIg sensing reduces pro-inflammatory, antiviral molecules, which facilitates intestinal homeostasis but thereby promotes MNV infection. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that natural SIg are not protective during norovirus infection in mice and represent another example of indirect modulation of enteric virus pathogenesis by the microbiota.

microbiology

Gut microbiome transition across a lifestyle gradient in Himalaya

The composition of the gut microbiome in industrialized populations differs from those living traditional lifestyles. However, it has been difficult to separate the contributions of human genetic and geographic factors from lifestyle/modernization. Here, we characterize the stool bacterial composition of four Himalayan populations to investigate how the gut community changes in response to shifts in human lifestyles. These groups led seminomadic hunting-gathering lifestyles until transitioning to varying dependence upon farming. The Tharu began farming 250-300 years ago, the Raute and Raji transitioned 30-40 years ago, and the Chepang retain many aspects of a foraging lifestyle. We assess the contributions of dietary and environmental factors on their gut microbiota and find that the gut microbiome composition is significantly associated with lifestyle. The Chepang foragers harbor elevated abundance of taxa associated with foragers around the world. Conversely, the gut microbiomes of populations that have transitioned to farming are more similar to those of Americans, with agricultural dependence and several associated lifestyle and environmental factors correlating with the extent of microbiome divergence from the foraging population. For example, our results show that drinking water source and solid cooking fuel are significantly associated with the gut microbiome. Despite the pronounced differences in gut bacterial composition across populations, we found little differences in alpha diversity across populations. These findings in genetically similar populations living in the same geographical region establish the key role of lifestyle in determining human gut microbiome composition and point to the next challenging steps of isolating dietary effects from other factors that change during modernization.\n\n\n\nO_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=193 SRC=\"FIGDIR/small/253450_ufig1.gif\" ALT=\"Figure 1\">\nView larger version (108K):\norg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@68f595org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@d33792org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@e56314org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1cbbba2_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

microbiology