Project description:Plasmids are extrachromosomal genetic elements commonly found in bacteria. Plasmids are known to fuel bacterial evolution through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), but recent analyses indicate that they can also promote intragenomic adaptations. However, the role of plasmids as catalysts of bacterial evolution beyond HGT remains poorly explored. In this study, we investigate the impact of a widespread conjugative plasmid, pOXA-48, on the evolution of various multidrug-resistant clinical enterobacteria. Combining experimental and within-patient evolution analyses, we unveil that plasmid pOXA-48 promotes bacterial evolution through the transposition of plasmid-encoded IS1 elements. Specifically, IS1-mediated gene inactivations expedite the adaptation rate of clinical strains in vitro and foster within-patient adaptation in the gut. We decipher the mechanism underlying the plasmid-mediated surge in IS1 transposition, revealing a negative feedback loop regulated by the genomic copy number of IS1. Given the overrepresentation of IS elements in bacterial plasmids, our findings propose that plasmid-mediated IS transposition represents a crucial mechanism for swift bacterial adaptation.
Project description:A major limitation to improving small-molecule pharmaceutical production in streptomycetes is the inability of high-copy-number plasmids to tolerate large biosynthetic gene cluster inserts. A recent finding has overcome this barrier. In 2003, Hu et al. discovered a stable, high-copy-number, 81-kb plasmid that significantly elevated production of the polyketide precursor to the antibiotic erythromycin in a heterologous Streptomyces host (J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 30:516-522, 2003). Here, we have identified mechanisms by which this SCP2*-derived plasmid achieves increased levels of metabolite production and examined how the 45-bp deletion mutation in the plasmid replication origin increased plasmid copy number. A plasmid intramycelial transfer gene, spd, and a partition gene, parAB, enhance metabolite production by increasing the stable inheritance of large plasmids containing biosynthetic genes. Additionally, high product titers required both activator (actII-ORF4) and biosynthetic genes (eryA) at high copy numbers. DNA gel shift experiments revealed that the 45-bp deletion abolished replication protein (RepI) binding to a plasmid site which, in part, supports an iteron model for plasmid replication and copy number control. Using the new information, we constructed a large high-copy-number plasmid capable of overproducing the polyketide 6-deoxyerythronolide B. However, this plasmid was unstable over multiple culture generations, suggesting that other SCP2* genes may be required for long-term, stable plasmid inheritance.
Project description:Plasmids are one of the important mobile genetic elements in bacterial evolution. In this study, to evaluate the generality of the impact of plasmid carriage on host cell between different plasmids, we compared the response of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 to harboring three natural plasmids; RP4 (IncP-1, multidrug resistance, 60,099-bp), pCAR1 (IncP-7, carbazole-degradative, 200,231-bp) and NAH7 (IncP-9, naphthalene-degradative, 82,232-bp). We prepared two sets of plasmid-harboring strains from independent conjugation events to elucidate the reproducibility of the impact of the plasmid carriage. As results, the fitness was reduced by the carriage of RP4 and pCAR1 in liquid medium, while it was unaffected or even improved for NAH7-harboring strains. RP4-harboring KT2440 formed smaller colonies than the plasmid-free strain on solid medium (1.6% agar). The host cells were elongated by the carriage of the all plasmids, respectively. Copy number determination by quantitative PCR showed that the amount of each plasmid DNA in the host cell did not differed drastically. Whole genome resequencing showed that 13 SNPs (RP4), 24 SNPs (pCAR1) and 5 SNPs (NAH7) were the total differences between the two substrains for each plasmid-harboring strains. Transcriptome analyses showed that the impact of plasmid carriage was constantly larger in RP4-harboring strain than the other two plasmid-harboring strains. Genes involved in metal acquisition and metabolism were commonly affected by the carriage of the three plasmid. Indeed, plasmid-harboring strains showed greater growth inhibition than plasmid-free strains under iron-limiting condition. This feature could become future target to control plasmid spreading.
Project description:Conjugative plasmids, major vehicles for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, often contain multiple toxin‒antitoxin (TA) systems. However, the physiological functions of TA systems remain obscure. By studying TA families commonly found on colistin-resistant IncI2 mcr-1-bearing plasmids, we discovered that the HicAB TA, acts as a crucial addiction module to increase horizontal plasmid‒plasmid competition.
Project description:<p>Gut environments harbour dense microbial ecosystems in which plasmids are widely distributed. Plasmids facilitate the exchange of genetic material among microorganisms while enabling the transfer of a diverse array of accessory functions. However, their precise impact on microbial community composition and function remains largely unexplored. Here we identify a prevalent bacterial toxin and a plasmid-encoded resistance mechanism that mediates the interaction between Lactobacilli and Enterococci. This plasmid is widespread across ecosystems, including the rumen and human gut microbiota. Biochemical characterization of the plasmid revealed a defence mechanism against reuterin, a toxin produced by various gut microbes, such as Limosilactobacillus reuteri. Using a targeted metabolomic approach, we find reuterin to be prevalent across rumen ecosystems with impacts on microbial community structure. Enterococcus strains carrying the protective plasmid were isolated and their interactions with L. reuteri, the toxin producer, were studied in vitro. Interestingly, we found that by conferring resistance against reuterin, the plasmid mediates metabolic exchange between the defending and the attacking microbial species, resulting in a beneficial relationship or mutualism. Hence, we reveal here an ecological role for a plasmid-coded defence system in mediating a beneficial interaction. </p>
Project description:Plasmid-free Lactococcus lactis IL1403 is one of the best-characterized representatives of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), intensively used in broad microbiology worldwide. Its parent strain, L. lactis IL594, contains seven plasmids (pIL1-pIL7) with resolved DNA sequences and an indicated role for overall plasmid load in enhancing host adaptive potential. To determine how individual plasmids manipulate the expression of phenotypes and chromosomal genes, we conducted global comparative phenotypic analyses combined with transcriptomic studies in plasmid-free L. lactis IL1403, multi-plasmid L. lactis IL594 and its single-plasmid derivatives. The presence of pIL2, pIL4 and pIL5 led to the most pronounced phenotypic differences in the metabolism of several carbon sources, including some β-glycosides and organic acids. The pIL5 plasmid also contributed to increased tolerance to some antimicrobial compounds and heavy metal ions, especially those in the toxic cation group. Comparative transcriptomics showed significant variation in the expression levels of up to 189 chromosomal genes due to the presence of single plasmids, and 435 unique chromosomal genes that are resultant of the activity of all plasmids, which may suggest that the observed phenotypic changes are not only the result of direct action of their own genes, but also originate from indirect actions through cross-talk between plasmids and the chromosome. The data obtained here indicate that plasmid maintenance leads to the development of important mechanisms of global gene regulation that provide changes in the central metabolic pathways and adaptive properties of L. lactis, and suggest the possibility of a similar phenomenon among other groups of bacteria.
Project description:We generated a collection of 13 plasmids, with each plasmid containing a variant of a CRISPR protospacer targeted by spacer 8 of the E. coli CRISPR-I array. We transformed the plasmids as a pool into delta cas3 E. coli cells expressing all other cas genes constitutively. We then transformed these cells with either an empty vector or a plasmid expressing the Cas3 nuclease. DNA surrounding the protospacers was PCR-amplified and sequenced.
Project description:Plasmids are widely used across molecular biology and are becoming increasingly valuable products, but robust plasmid replication is held back by stability issues in the host. This study investigated how Escherichia coli responds to plasmid stress at the transcriptional level by modulating plasmid copy number, plasmid size, selection marker and carbon source. This GEO contains controls from this study alone.
Project description:All 14 essential genes of chrIII were clustered and reordered, and transcription of the genes was tested. We designed and constructed three types of reorganized essential genes into three different plasmids. For the genomic direction (GD) plasmid, the essential genes were arranged according to their natural chromosomal positions and orientations. For the same direction (SD) plasmid, the essential genes were arrayed in the same positions as GD plasmid, but all genes were assembled in the same direction (SD). For the random direction (RD) plasmid, the essential genes were modularly assembled according to the combined length of three individual genes and thus displayed disorderly. The synIII strains bearing the GD/SD/RD plasmids were phenotypically normal despite of the double expression of 14 essential genes.