Project description:To determine Sigma 54 (SigL) reglons in Bacillus thuringiensis HD73 strain, A sigLmutant, HD(ΔsigL::kan), was constructed with insertion of kanamycin resistance gene cassete. We have employed whole genome microarray expression profiling as a discovery platform to identify the difference of gene expression between mutant and wild-type strains.
Project description:To determine Sigma 54 (SigL) reglons in Bacillus thuringiensis HD73 strain, A sigLmutant, HD(M-NM-^TsigL::kan), was constructed with insertion of kanamycin resistance gene cassete. We have employed whole genome microarray expression profiling as a discovery platform to identify the difference of gene expression between mutant and wild-type strains. 2 ml samples were separately harvested from B. thuringiensis HD73 and HD(M-NM-^TsigL::kan) strains grown in SchaefferM-bM-^@M-^Ys sporulation medium (SSM) at stages T7 of stationary phase (7 hours after the end of the exponential phase). Three independent repeats were performed for each stain.
Project description:The aim of the study was to carry out a CGH study utilizing a set of 39 diverse Bacillus isolates. Thirty four B. cereus and five B. anthracis strains and isolates were chosen so as to represent different lineages based on previous characterizations, including MLEE and MLST (Helgason, Okstad et al. 2000; Helgason, Tourasse et al. 2004). They represent the spectrum of B. cereus phenotypic diversity by including soil, dairy and periodontal isolates in addition to virulent B. anthracis strains.
Project description:Characterization and whole genome sequencing of a new highly toxic Bacillus thuringiensis sv. israelensis strain AR23 isolated from Lebanese soil.
Project description:The soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) can produce spores and crystals composed of toxins with insecticidal activity. Due to these properties, some Bt strains have been developed as biopesticides for pest control, with a high value to restrict the use of chemical insecticides. However, Bt strains belong to the Bacillus cereus (Bc) group, sharing some virulence genes encoding diarrheal enterotoxins like hemolysin BL (Hbl), non-hemolytic enterotoxin (Nhe) and cytotoxin K (Cyt-K2). These toxins are known to be involved in foodborne outbreaks (FBOs) caused by Bc sensu stricto contamination. For this reason, it has been suggested that Bt may also provoke FBOs and it is therefore crucial to evaluate their virulence potential and to characterize their effects on humans. For this purpose, differentiated human intestinal Caco-2 cells, able to mimic the human intestinal barrier, have been treated with serial dilutions of the culture supernatant of five different Bt strains used as biopesticides. No cytotoxicity was induced with all Bt supernatants after 24 h treatment in contrast to Bacillus cytotoxicus (Bcyt) supernatants. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) secretion increased sharply in both groups, suggesting possible concerns with chronic inflammation. To investigate the molecular effects of Bt supernatants on Caco-2 cells, untargeted proteomics and metabolomics were performed on both cell media and lysates with 3 non-cytotoxic concentrations. Proteomics and metabolomics highlighted common perturbations on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and lipid metabolism for both Bt and Bcyt supernatants exposures. Proteins linked to acute inflammation decreased only with Bcyt exposure. Bt supernatants and not Bcyt supernatants caused a shedding of CD59 and CD55, inhibitors of the complement system, from the cell membrane into the culture medium. This showed that Bt supernatants can increase the vulnerability of intestinal cells to their own immune system. Proteomics also revealed the heterogeneity of toxin abundance in the supernatants of the different Bt subspecies, demonstrating the importance of taking subspecies into account when assessing the risks associated with their use as biopesticides.
Project description:Bacillus velezensis strain GH1-13 isolated from a rice paddy soil in Korea has been reported to promote plant growth and inhibit some pathogens. It contains a plasmid pBV71, thought to be of benefit to the strain, but there is no information on its effect. In order to elicit the plasmid effect on gene expression, mRNA and protein levels were analyzed at various stages of bacterial growth. Comparative gene expression profiles between the plasmid-containing and plasmid-free cells revealed that strain GH1-13 activated a transient stress response in the exponential phase. It showed early activation of expression of sigma W operon, liaIHGFSR operon, and transcription regulators for transition state, associated with carbon catabolite repression and secondary metabolite biosynthesis of acetoin, bacillaene, and macrolactin.
Project description:In the past decade, the paradigm which claimed that invertebrate immune systems lack specificity has been reconsidered. Accumulating evidence supports that invertebrate immune systems are able to mount specific responses to the pathogen species-, and even to the pathogen strain-level. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms behind invertebrate immune specificity remain mostly unknown. Studying the molecular basis of invertebrate immune specificity in a genetically tractable model, such as the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, has the potential to reveal insights into the immune systems of other metazoans, including humans. We chose to study the mechanisms of specific immune responses of the worm to two different pathogenic strains of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (MYBY18247 and MYBT18679), because there is phenotypic evidence of specific genotype-genotype interactions between this host-pathogen pair. We did an initial RNA-Seq experiment upon pathogen exposure and found that 9% of the differentially expressed genes change their expression in different ways when comparing the two pathogen strains. Through promoter region motif enrichment analysis, we found the GATA transcription factor ELT-2 is responsible for the pathogen strain-specific transcriptomic response. Upon elt-2 knockdown worms exposed to MYBT18679 display lower survival rate coupled with higher intestinal damage than non-infected controls. Additionally, by performing further genetic analysis using gene knockdown and knockout, we found that the p38 MAPK pathway acts likely in parallel to elt-2 and the transcription factor skn-1 cooperates with elt-2 to promote resistance to MYBT18679. On the other hand, elt-2 knockdown leads to a substantially higher survival rate, together with lower intestinal tissue damage compared to control worms, upon exposure to MYBT18247, another pathogenic Bacillus thuringiensis strain. The MYBT18247 pathogen load of elt-2(RNAi) worms compared to control worms remained unchanged, suggesting the elt-2 negatively regulates tolerance towards MYBT18247. We found that tolerance to MYBT18247 was positively regulated by the transcription factors: FOXO daf-16, bZip zip-2, nhr-99 and nhr-193. To identify elt-2 negatively-regulated downstream targets that could promote tolerance to MYBT18247, we performed a second RNA-Seq experiment, this time including elt-2(RNAi) worms exposed to both pathogenic strains. We found four genes negatively regulated by elt-2: cdr-2, poml-3, dhs-30 and tre-3, with putative function in detoxification and lipid metabolism, which can mediate tolerance to MYBT18247. We conclude that ELT-2 coordinates strain-specific immune responses in this invertebrate host and promotes resistance upon exposure to MYBT18679, while it negatively regulates tolerance to MYBT18247. The response is likely to be specific to the crystal pore-forming toxins produced by this pathogen.
Project description:The soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) can produce spores and crystals composed of toxins with insecticidal activity. Due to these properties, some Bt strains have been developed as biopesticides for pest control, with a high value to restrict the use of chemical insecticides. However, Bt strains belong to the Bacillus cereus (Bc) group, sharing some virulence genes encoding diarrheal enterotoxins like hemolysin BL (Hbl), non-hemolytic enterotoxin (Nhe) and cytotoxin K (Cyt-K2). These toxins are known to be involved in foodborne outbreaks (FBOs) caused by Bc sensu stricto contamination. For this reason, it has been suggested that Bt may also provoke FBOs and it is therefore crucial to evaluate their virulence potential and to characterize their effects on humans. For this purpose, differentiated human intestinal Caco-2 cells, able to mimic the human intestinal barrier, have been treated with serial dilutions of the culture supernatant of five different Bt strains used as biopesticides. No cytotoxicity was induced with all Bt supernatants after 24 h treatment in contrast to Bacillus cytotoxicus (Bcyt) supernatants. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) secretion increased sharply in both groups, suggesting possible concerns with chronic inflammation. To investigate the molecular effects of Bt supernatants on Caco-2 cells, untargeted proteomics and metabolomics were performed on both cell media and lysates with 3 non-cytotoxic concentrations. Proteomics and metabolomics highlighted common perturbations on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and lipid metabolism for both Bt and Bcyt supernatants exposures. Proteins linked to acute inflammation decreased only with Bcyt exposure. Bt supernatants and not Bcyt supernatants caused a shedding of CD59 and CD55, inhibitors of the complement system, from the cell membrane into the culture medium. This showed that Bt supernatants can increase the vulnerability of intestinal cells to their own immune system. Proteomics also revealed the heterogeneity of toxin abundance in the supernatants of the different Bt subspecies, demonstrating the importance of taking subspecies into account when assessing the risks associated with their use as biopesticides.
Project description:We investigated the gene expression and metabolic regulatory mechanisms associated with the high-level accumulation of ICPs by performing the transcriptomics analysis of B. thuringiensis strain CT-43, using Illumina high throughout sequencing (RNA-seq) technique.