scholarly journals Tandem amplification of the vanM gene cluster drives vancomycin resistance in vancomycin-variable enterococci

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingyan Sun ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Xiaoting Hua ◽  
Yiyi Chen ◽  
Jinjing Hong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Tandem Repeats ◽  
Blot Hybridization ◽  
Southern Blot Hybridization ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Vancomycin Resistance ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Long Read

Abstract Background Vancomycin-variable enterococci (VVE) are a potential risk factor for vancomycin resistance gene dissemination and clinical treatment failure. vanM has emerged as a new prevalent resistance determinant among clinical enterococci in China. A total of 54 vancomycin-susceptible enterococci (VSE) isolates carrying incomplete vanM gene clusters were isolated in our previous study. Objectives To determine the potential of vanM-carrying VSE to develop vancomycin resistance and investigate the mechanism of alteration of the resistance phenotype. Methods Fifty-four vanM-positive VSE strains were induced in vitro by culturing in increasing concentrations of vancomycin. Genetic changes between three parent VVE strains and their resistant variants were analysed using Illumina and long-read sequencing technologies, quantitative PCR and Southern blot hybridization. Changes in expression level were determined by quantitative RT–PCR. Results Twenty-five of the 54 VSE strains carrying vanM became resistant upon vancomycin exposure. A significant increase in vanM copy number was observed ranging from 5.28 to 127.64 copies per cell in induced resistant VVE strains. The vanM transposon was identified as tandem repeats with IS1216E between them, and occurred in either the plasmid or the chromosome of resistant VVE cells. In addition, an increase in vanM expression was observed after resistance conversion in VVE. Conclusions This study identified tandem amplification of the vanM gene cluster as a new mechanism for vancomycin resistance in VVE strains, offering a competitive advantage for VVE under antibiotic pressure.

scholarly journals Structural comparison of Acinetobacter baumannii β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein reductases in fatty acid and aryl polyene biosynthesis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Woo Cheol Lee ◽  
Sungjae Choi ◽  
Ahjin Jang ◽  
Kkabi Son ◽  
Yangmee Kim
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Fatty Acid Synthase ◽  
Acyl Carrier Protein ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Carrier Protein ◽  
Aryl Group ◽  
Visible Absorption

AbstractSome Gram-negative bacteria harbor lipids with aryl polyene (APE) moieties. Biosynthesis gene clusters (BGCs) for APE biosynthesis exhibit striking similarities with fatty acid synthase (FAS) genes. Despite their broad distribution among pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria, the detailed roles of the metabolic products of APE gene clusters are unclear. Here, we determined the crystal structures of the β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase ApeQ produced by an APE gene cluster from clinically isolated virulent Acinetobacter baumannii in two states (bound and unbound to NADPH). An in vitro visible absorption spectrum assay of the APE polyene moiety revealed that the β-ketoacyl-ACP reductase FabG from the A. baumannii FAS gene cluster cannot be substituted for ApeQ in APE biosynthesis. Comparison with the FabG structure exhibited distinct surface electrostatic potential profiles for ApeQ, suggesting a positively charged arginine patch as the cognate ACP-binding site. Binding modeling for the aryl group predicted that Leu185 (Phe183 in FabG) in ApeQ is responsible for 4-benzoyl moiety recognition. Isothermal titration and arginine patch mutagenesis experiments corroborated these results. These structure–function insights of a unique reductase in the APE BGC in comparison with FAS provide new directions for elucidating host–pathogen interaction mechanisms and novel antibiotics discovery.

Characterization of cDNA clones specific for sequences developmentally regulated during Dictyostelium discoideum spore germination

1983 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 1943-1948
Author(s):  
L J Kelly ◽  
R Kelly ◽  
H L Ennis
Keyword(s):  
Dictyostelium Discoideum ◽  
Spore Germination ◽  
Developmental Regulation ◽  
Blot Hybridization ◽  
Southern Blot Hybridization ◽  
In Vitro Translation ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Molecular Weights ◽  
Multiple Copies

Spore germination in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum was used as a model to study the developmental regulation of protein and mRNA synthesis. Changes in the synthesis of these macromolecules occur during the transition from dormant spore to amoebae. The study of the mechanisms which regulate the quantity and quality of protein synthesis can best be accomplished with cloned genes. cDNA clones which hybridized primarily with mRNAs from only spores or germinating spores and not with growing amoebae were collected. Three such clones, denoted pLK109, pLK229, and pRK270, were isolated and had inserts of approximately 500, 1,200, and 690 base pairs, respectively. Southern blot hybridization experiments suggested that each of the genes is present in multiple copies in the D. discoideum genome. RNA blot hybridizations were performed to determine the sizes of the respective mRNAs and their developmental regulation. The mRNA that hybridized to pLK109 DNA was present predominantly in spores and at 1 h after germination but was absent in growing amoebae. Its concentration dramatically dropped at 3 h. The mRNA present in spores is apparently larger (approximately 0.5 kilobase) than in the later stages of germination (0.4 kilobase), indicating processing of the RNA during germination. The mRNA that hybridized to pLK229 DNA was approximately 1.0 kilobase and was present in very low amounts during growth. Its concentration rose until 1 h after spore germination and decreased thereafter. pRK270-specific RNA was approximately 2.7 kilobases and was found predominantly at 1 h after germination. It was present in lower concentrations at 2 and 3 h after germination and was absent in spores and amoebae. In vitro translation of mRNA selected from 1-h polyadenylated RNA which was hybridized to pLK109 or pLK229 DNA gave proteins of molecular weights consistent with the sizes of the mRNAs as determined by the RNA blot analysis.

scholarly journals The Gene Cluster forpara-Nitrophenol Catabolism Is Responsible for 2-Chloro-4-Nitrophenol Degradation in Burkholderia sp. Strain SJ98

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (19) ◽  
pp. 6212-6222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Min ◽  
Jun-Jie Zhang ◽  
Ning-Yi Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽  
Biochemical Analyses ◽  
Nitrophenol Degradation

ABSTRACTBurkholderiasp. strain SJ98 (DSM 23195) utilizes 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol (2C4NP) orpara-nitrophenol (PNP) as a sole source of carbon and energy. Here, by genetic and biochemical analyses, a 2C4NP catabolic pathway different from those of all other 2C4NP utilizers was identified with chloro-1,4-benzoquinone (CBQ) as an intermediate. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that all of thepnpgenes in thepnpABA1CDEFcluster were located in a single operon, which is significantly different from the genetic organization of all other previously reported PNP degradation gene clusters, in which the structural genes were located in three different operons. All of the Pnp proteins were purified to homogeneity as His-tagged proteins. PnpA, a PNP 4-monooxygenase, was found to be able to catalyze the monooxygenation of 2C4NP to CBQ. PnpB, a 1,4-benzoquinone reductase, has the ability to catalyze the reduction of CBQ to chlorohydroquinone. Moreover, PnpB is also able to enhance PnpA activityin vitroin the conversion of 2C4NP to CBQ. Genetic analyses indicated thatpnpAplays an essential role in the degradation of both 2C4NP and PNP by gene knockout and complementation. In addition to being responsible for the lower pathway of PNP catabolism, PnpCD, PnpE, and PnpF were also found to be likely involved in that of 2C4NP catabolism. These results indicated that the catabolism of 2C4NP and that of PNP share the same gene cluster in strain SJ98. These findings fill a gap in our understanding of the microbial degradation of 2C4NP at the molecular and biochemical levels.

The hyaluronate lyase of Staphylococcus aureus – a virulence factor?

Microbiology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 150 (6) ◽  
pp. 2005-2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Makris ◽  
John D. Wright ◽  
Eileen Ingham ◽  
Keith T. Holland
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Virulence Factor ◽  
Colorimetric Assay ◽  
Shuttle Vector ◽  
Blot Hybridization ◽  
Southern Blot Hybridization ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Cell Recovery ◽  
Hyaluronate Lyase

The hyaluronate lyase (HL) gene of Staphylococcus aureus 8325-4 (hysA) was inactivated in vitro with the insertion of the erythromycin determinant, ermC, from plasmid pE194. The hysA : : ermC mutation was introduced into S. aureus via a temperature-sensitive shuttle vector, where it underwent homologous recombination with the wild-type (w.t.) allele. The insertion of ermC in the chromosomal hysA locus was confirmed by Southern blot hybridization and the loss of HL activity was demonstrated macroscopically by a plate assay. The importance of HL for pathogenicity was assessed by comparing the virulence of the HL− mutant strain to that of the w.t. in an established mouse abscess model of S. aureus infection. A significantly higher cell recovery was obtained from lesions infected with the w.t. strain compared to the lesions infected with the HL− strain (P =0·01). Although the lesion areas from both groups were not significantly different (P=0·9) they were of different morphology. A colorimetric assay was used to measure HL activity from culture supernatants of the S. aureus 8325-4 strains w.t., WA250 (agr) and PC1839 (sar) grown in a chemically defined medium. HL activity reached a maximum in the w.t. strain during mid-exponential phase (t=5 h) and while it showed a 16-fold decrease in the agr mutant it increased 35-fold in the sar mutant background. These results strongly suggest that HL is a virulence factor which is important in the early stages of subcutaneous infections.

scholarly journals Influence of Mouse-Strain-Specific Factors on Position-Dependent Transgene DNA Methylation Patterns

1996 ◽  
Vol 45 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 243-244
Author(s):  
P.A. Koetsier ◽  
W. Doerfler
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Promoter Activity ◽  
Blot Hybridization ◽  
Southern Blot Hybridization ◽  
Adenovirus Type ◽  
Methylation Pattern ◽  
Parent Of Origin ◽  
Methylation Patterns

In previous work from this laboratory, an inverse dependence was established for the adenovirus type 2 E2A late promoter between sequence-specific DNA methylation and promoter activity [1-5; for reviews see ref. 6, 7]. The effect of DNA methylation on promoter activity was also assessed in the transgenic mice, which were obtained from microinjections of unmethylated or in vitro HpaII-premethylated pAd2E2AL-CAT DNA [1] into F2 zygotes from B6D2F, (C57BL/6 × DBA/2) hybrid mice. In CAT assays carried out on organ extracts from the pAd2E2AL-CAT mice, the inverse relationship was confirmed [2].We studied the stability of the pAd2E2AL-CAT DNA methylation patterns in up to eight mouse generations and assessed the influence of the strain-specific genetic background. Three pAd2E2AL-CAT mouse lines were crossed with inbred DBA/2, C57BL/6 or B6D2F, mice. Parent-of-origin effects were controlled by exclusive hemizygous transgene transmission either via females or males. The founder animal of line 7-1 carried two groups of transgenes (A and B) on separate chromosomes. The transgene methylation patterns of the 7-1B transgenes and those of the lines 5-8 and 8-1 were stably transmitted.Southern blot hybridization experiments [8, 9] revealed that the 7-1A transgene methylation pattern was a cellular mosaic. In mixed-genetic-background offspring from 7-1A animals, 10% carried transgenes with HpaII-DNA methylation levels that were reduced from 40 to 10-15%. This finding suggested that in this background the factors that supported high methylation levels were dominant. When inbred DBA/2 mice were the mates, 40% of the siblings carried demethylated transgenes, whereas this ratio amounted to only 10% in C57BL/6 offspring (comparable to B6D2F1 crossings). Transgene methylation patterns were not detectably influenced by the parent-of-origin.

scholarly journals Chasing perfection: validation and polishing strategies for telomere-to-telomere genome assemblies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arang Rhie ◽  
Ann Mc Cartney ◽  
Kishwar Shafin ◽  
Michael Alonge ◽  
Andrey Bzikadze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Assembly ◽  
Tandem Repeats ◽  
Hydatidiform Mole ◽  
Segmental Duplications ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Oxford Nanopore ◽  
Human Genome Assembly ◽  
Long Read ◽  
Genome Assemblies ◽  
Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Abstract Advances in long-read sequencing technologies and genome assembly methods have enabled the recent completion of the first Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) human genome assembly, which resolves complex segmental duplications and large tandem repeats, including centromeric satellite arrays in a complete hydatidiform mole (CHM13). Though derived from highly accurate sequencing, evaluation revealed that the initial T2T draft assembly had evidence of small errors and structural misassemblies. To correct these errors, we designed a novel repeat-aware polishing strategy that made accurate assembly corrections in large repeats without overcorrection, ultimately fixing 51% of the existing errors and improving the assembly QV to 73.9. By comparing our results to standard automated polishing tools, we outline common polishing errors and offer practical suggestions for genome projects with limited resources. We also show how sequencing biases in both PacBio HiFi and Oxford Nanopore Technologies reads cause signature assembly errors that can be corrected with a diverse panel of sequencing technologies

scholarly journals 088 Microprojectile Bombardment-mediated Transformation of Rhododendron `Catawbiense Album' L.

HortScience ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 456D-456
Author(s):  
Jane E. Knapp ◽  
Mark H. Brand
Keyword(s):  
Microprojectile Bombardment ◽  
Blot Hybridization ◽  
Shoot Proliferation ◽  
Southern Blot Hybridization ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Marker Genes ◽  
Selective Agent ◽  
Putative Transformants ◽  
High Level

Horticultural improvements in Rhododendron require long periods of time to produce flowering plants by traditional breeding methods. In addition, new trait development by conventional genetics is limited to existing germplasm. Genetic engineering approaches to horticultural improvement offer the possibility for introduction of new traits using foreign DNA from any source. To this end, we have developed a system for the genetic transformation of Rhododendron based on microprojectile bombardment. Leaves from in vitro-grown plantlets of R. `Catawbiense Album' L. were bombarded with the marker genes uidA (GUS) in combination with nptII or hph. Two days post-bombardment, explants were transferred to shoot iniation medium containing either 50 mg/L kanamycin or 2.5 mg/L hygromycin. After 4 weeks, proliferating tissues were transferred to media containing increased levels of selective agent (100 mg/L kanamycin or 5 mg/L hygromycin, respectively). Shoots that regenerated were then excised from necrotic tissues and transferred to shoot proliferation medium containing the high level of selective agent. PCR analysis of putative transformants revealed the presence of the transgenes. Southern blot hybridization confirmed stable transgene integration. Histochemical GUS assays of transformed tissues indicated uniform expression throughout the transgenic plant. With the development of an efficient transformation system, the introduction of genes to confer useful horticultural traits becomes feasible.

Detection and Species Identification of Wood-Decaying Fungi by Hybridization of Immobilized Sequence-Specific Oligonucleotide Probes with PCR-Amplified Fungal Ribosomal DNA Internal Transcribed Spacers

Holzforschung ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Oh ◽  
D. P. Kamdem ◽  
D. E. Keathley ◽  
K.-H. Han
Keyword(s):  
Species Identification ◽  
Blot Hybridization ◽  
Southern Blot Hybridization ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Internal Transcribed Spacers ◽  
Oligonucleotide Probes ◽  
Sequence Specificity ◽  
Decay Fungi ◽  
Sequence Specific Oligonucleotide Probes

SummaryWe developed an effective detection method for wood-decaying fungi by hybridization of immobilized Sequence-Specific Oligonucleotide Probes with florescent-labeled PCR-amplified fungal rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequences. This method takes advantage of both the sequence specificity of Southern blot hybridization and the sensitivity of the previously reported PCR-based fungal species identification methods. Bothin vitrocultured fungal strains and naturally decaying wood samples were used to demonstrate that this method is robust and practical for detection of incipient wood-decaying fungi. It can be a useful tool for microbial ecology, plant pathology, protection of wood products in service, preservation efforts for high-value furniture and wood-based art and DNA fingerprinting for tracking the source of contamination of wood decay fungi.

scholarly journals Sulfation and amidinohydrolysis in the biosynthesis of giant linear polyenes

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 2408-2415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Hong ◽  
Markiyan Samborskyy ◽  
Katsiaryna Usachova ◽  
Katharina Schnatz ◽  
Peter F Leadlay
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Late Stage ◽  
Rare Case ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene ◽  
Starter Unit ◽  
Linear Polyenes ◽  
Streptomyces Malaysiensis

Clethramycin from Streptomyces malaysiensis DSM4137, and mediomycins (produced together with clethramycin from Streptomyces mediocidicus), are near-identical giant linear polyenes apparently constructed from, respectively, a 4-guanidinobutanoate or 4-aminobutanoate starter unit and 27 polyketide extender units, and bearing a specific O-sulfonate modification at the C-29 hydroxy group. We show here that mediomycins are actually biosynthesised not by use of a different starter unit but by direct late-stage deamidination of (desulfo)clethramycin. A gene (slf) encoding a candidate sulfotransferase has been located in both gene clusters. Deletion of this gene in DSM4137 led to accumulation of desulfoclethramycin only, instead of a mixture of desulfoclethramycin and clethramycin. The mediomycin gene cluster does not encode an amidinohydrolase, but when three candidate amidinohydrolase genes from elsewhere in the S. mediocidicus genome were individually expressed in Escherichia coli and assayed, only one of them (medi4948), located 670 kbp away from the mediomycin gene cluster on the chromosome, catalysed the removal of the amidino group from desulfoclethramycin. Subsequent cloning of medi4948 into DSM4137 caused mediomycins A and B to accumulate at the expense of clethramycin and desulfoclethramycin, respectively, a rare case where an essential biosynthetic gene is not co-located with other pathway genes. Clearly, both desulfoclethramycin and clethramycin are substrates for this amidinohydrolase. Also, purified recombinant sulfotransferase from DSM4137, in the presence of 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate as donor, efficiently converted mediomycin B to mediomycin A in vitro. Thus, in the final steps of mediomycin A biosynthesis deamidination and sulfotransfer can take place in either order.

scholarly journals Candicidin Biosynthesis Gene Cluster Is Widely Distributed among Streptomyces spp. Isolated from the Sediments and the Neuston Layer of the Trondheim Fjord, Norway

2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 3296-3303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne J�rgensen ◽  
Espen Fj�rvik ◽  
Sigrid Hakv�g ◽  
Per Bruheim ◽  
Harald Bredholt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Blot Hybridization ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Southern Blot Hybridization ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Uv Spectrum ◽  
Biosynthesis Gene Cluster ◽  
Streptomyces Spp ◽  
Biosynthesis Gene ◽  
Large Plasmids

ABSTRACT A large number of Streptomyces bacteria with antifungal activity isolated from samples collected in the Trondheim fjord (Norway) were found to produce polyene compounds. Investigation of polyene-containing extracts revealed that most of the isolates produced the same compound, which had an atomic mass and UV spectrum corresponding to those of candicidin D. The morphological diversity of these isolates prompted us to speculate about the involvement of a mobile genetic element in dissemination of the candicidin biosynthesis gene cluster (can). Eight candicidin-producing isolates were analyzed by performing a 16S rRNA gene-based taxonomic analysis, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, PCR, and Southern blot hybridization with can-specific probes. These analyses revealed that most of the isolates were related, although they were morphologically diverse, and that all of them contained can genes. The majority of the isolates studied contained large plasmids, and two can-specific probes hybridized to a 250-kb plasmid in one isolate. Incubation of the latter isolate at a high temperature resulted in loss of the can genes and candicidin production, while mating of the “cured” strain with a plasmid-containing donor restored candicidin production. The latter result suggested that the 250-kb plasmid contains the complete can gene cluster and could be responsible for conjugative transfer of this cluster to other streptomycetes.

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