Project description:Xiangjiang River (Hunan, China) has been contaminated with heavy metal for several decades by surrounding factories. However, little is known about the influence of a gradient of heavy metal contamination on the diversity, structure of microbial functional gene in sediment. To deeply understand the impact of heavy metal contamination on microbial community, a comprehensive functional gene array (GeoChip 5.0) has been used to study the functional genes structure, composition, diversity and metabolic potential of microbial community from three heavy metal polluted sites of Xiangjiang River.
Project description:Xiangjiang River (Hunan, China) has been contaminated with heavy metal for several decades by surrounding factories. However, little is known about the influence of a gradient of heavy metal contamination on the diversity, structure of microbial functional gene in sediment. To deeply understand the impact of heavy metal contamination on microbial community, a comprehensive functional gene array (GeoChip 5.0) has been used to study the functional genes structure, composition, diversity and metabolic potential of microbial community from three heavy metal polluted sites of Xiangjiang River. Three groups of samples, A, B and C. Every group has 3 replicates.
Project description:Acinetobacter baumannii is recognized as a critical human pathogen by the World Health Organization, and therefore there is increasing interest in studying its biology and pathophysiology. Among other strains, A. baumannii V15 has been extensively used for these purposes. Here, the genome sequence of A. baumannii V15 is presented.
Project description:We report the 4.0-Mb draft genome sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii strain MSP4-16, isolated from a mangrove soil sample from Parangipettai (11°30'N, 79°47'E), Tamil Nadu, India. The draft genome sequence of strain MSP4-16 consists of 3,944,542 bp, with a G+C content of 39%, 5,387 protein coding genes, and 69 RNAs.
Project description:In this study the transcriptomes of Acinetobacter baumannii strains ATCC 17978 and 17978hm were compared. Strain 17978hm is a hns knockout derivative of strain ATCC 17978. Strain 17978hm displays a hyper-motile phenotype on semi-solid Mueller-Hinton (MH) media (0.25% agar). ATCC 17978 and 17978hm from an 37C overnight culture were transferred to the centre of the semi-solid MH plate and incubated at 37C for 8 hours. Only 17978hm cells displayed a motile phenotype and covered the complete surface of the plate. These motile 17978hm cells and the non-motile wild-type ATCC 17978 cells were harvested and RNA was isolated. The comparative transcriptome analysis was performed using the FairPlay labeling kit and a custom made Agilent MicroArray with probes designed to coding regions of the ATCC 17978 genome. The data was analyzed using Agilent GeneSpring GX9 and the significance analysis of microarray MS Excel add-on.
Project description:The complement system is required for innate immunity against Acinetobacter baumannii, an important cause of antibiotic resistant systemic infections. A. baumannii strains differ in their susceptibility to the membrane attack complex (MAC) formed from terminal complement pathway proteins, but the reasons for this variation remain poorly understood. We have characterized in detail the complement sensitivity phenotypes of nine A. baumannii clinical strains and some of the factors that might influence differences between strains. Using A. baumannii laboratory strains and flow cytometry assays, we first reconfirmed that both opsonization with the complement proteins C3b/iC3b and MAC formation were inhibited by the capsule. There were marked differences in C3b/iC3b and MAC binding between the nine clinical A. baumannii strains, but this variation was partially independent of capsule composition or size. Opsonization with C3b/iC3b improved neutrophil phagocytosis of most strains. Importantly, although C3b/iC3b binding and MAC formation on the bacterial surface correlated closely, MAC formation did not correlate with variations between A. baumannii strains in their levels of serum resistance. Genomic analysis identified only limited differences between strains in the distribution of genes required for serum resistance, but RNAseq data identified three complement-resistance genes that were differentially regulated between a MAC resistant and two MAC intermediate resistant strains when cultured in serum. These data demonstrate that clinical A. baumannii strains vary in their sensitivity to different aspects of the complement system, and that the serum resistance phenotype was influenced by factors in addition to the amount of MAC forming on the bacterial surface.
Project description:The human pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii possesses high genetic plasticity and frequently acquires antimicrobial resistance genes. Here we investigated the role of natural transformation in these processes. Genomic DNA from different sources, including from carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, was mixed with A. baumannii A118 cells. Selected transformants were analysed by whole-genome sequencing. In addition, bioinformatics analyses and in silico gene flow prediction were also performed to support the experimental results. Transformant strains included some that became resistant to carbapenems or changed their antimicrobial susceptibility profile. Foreign DNA acquisition was confirmed by whole-genome analysis. The acquired DNA most frequently identified corresponded to mobile genetic elements, antimicrobial resistance genes and operons involved in metabolism. Bioinformatics analyses and in silico gene flow prediction showed continued exchange of genetic material between A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae when they share the same habitat. Natural transformation plays an important role in the plasticity of A. baumannii and concomitantly in the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains.