Dataset Information

Rapid diversification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis lung-like conditions.

ABSTRACT: Chronic infection of the cystic fibrosis (CF) airway by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for adult CF patients. Prolonged infections are accompanied by adaptation of P. aeruginosa to the unique conditions of the CF lung environment, as well as marked diversification of the pathogen into phenotypically and genetically distinct strains that can coexist for years within a patient. Little is known, however, about the causes of this diversification and its impact on patient health. Here, we show experimentally that, consistent with ecological theory of diversification, the nutritional conditions of the CF airway can cause rapid and extensive diversification of P. aeruginosa Mucin, the substance responsible for the increased viscosity associated with the thick mucus layer in the CF airway, had little impact on within-population diversification but did promote divergence among populations. Furthermore, in vitro evolution recapitulated traits thought to be hallmarks of chronic infection, including reduced motility and increased biofilm formation, and the range of phenotypes observed in a collection of clinical isolates. Our results suggest that nutritional complexity and reduced dispersal can drive evolutionary diversification of P. aeruginosa independent of other features of the CF lung such as an active immune system or the presence of competing microbial species. We suggest that diversification, by generating extensive phenotypic and genetic variation on which selection can act, may be a key first step in the development of chronic infections.

SUBMITTER: Schick A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6196507 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Rapid diversification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis lung-like conditions.

Schick Alana A Kassen Rees R

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20181001 42

Chronic infection of the cystic fibrosis (CF) airway by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for adult CF patients. Prolonged infections are accompanied by adaptation of P. aeruginosa to the unique conditions of the CF lung environment, as well as marked diversification of the pathogen into phenotypically and genetically distinct strains that can coexist for years within a patient. Little is known, however, about the caus ...[more]

PMID: 30275334

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Project description:Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, opportunistic bacterium and a major etiological agent in monogenic disease cystic fibrosis (CF). High density colonies of P. aeruginosa are often isolated from hypoxic mucus plugs in respiratory tract of CF patients, indicating high adaptive capacities of the bacterium. Despite the high prevalence and related patient mortality, the protein machinery enabling the bacterium to adapt to this hypoxic environment remains to be fully elucidated. We investigated this by performing both SWATH mass spectrometry and data-dependent SPS-MS3 of TMT labelled peptides to profile the proteomes of two P. aeruginosa CF isolates, PASS2 and PASS3, and a laboratory reference strain, PAO1, grown under hypoxic stress (O2<1%) and aerobic conditions in media that mimics the nutrient components of the CF lung. 3,967 P. aeruginosa proteins were quantitated (FDR <1%) across all three strains, reflecting approximately 71% of predicted ORFs in PAO1 and representing the most comprehensive proteome of clinically relevant P. aeruginosa to date. Comparative analysis revealed 735, 640 and 364 proteins were altered by two-fold or more when comparing low oxygen to aerobic growth in PAO1, PASS2 and PASS3 respectively. Strikingly, under hypoxic stress, all strains showed concurrent increased abundance of proteins required for both aerobic (cbb3-1 and cbb3-2 terminal oxidases) and anaerobic denitrification and arginine fermentation, with the two clinical isolates showing higher relative expression of proteins in these pathways. Additionally, functional annotation revealed that clinical strains portray a unique expression profile of replication, membrane biogenesis and virulence proteins during hypoxia which may endow these bacteria with a survival advantage. These protein profiles illuminate the diversity of P. aeruginosa mechanisms to adapt to low oxygen and shows that CF isolates initiate a robust molecular response to persist under these conditions.

Dataset Information

Rapid diversification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis lung-like conditions.

Publications

Rapid diversification of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> in cystic fibrosis lung-like conditions.

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