Project description:Gene expression profiles of two Pseudomonas aeruginosa taxonomic outlier clinical isolates, CLJ1 and CLJ3 [CLJ3] Pseudomonas aeruginosa taxonomic outliers emerged recently as infectious for humans, provoking hemorrhagic pneumonia. Those bacteria lack classical type III secretion system, and utilize the pore-forming toxin for infection. Two clones CLJ1 and CLJ3 belonging to these taxonomic outliers have been isolated from the same patient at two different times during hospitalization. P. aeruginosa CLJ3 displays antibiotic resistance phenotype, while CLJ1 is more cytotoxic on epithelial and endothelial cells.
Project description:Gene expression profiles of two Pseudomonas aeruginosa taxonomic outlier clinical isolates, CLJ1 and CLJ3 [CLJ1] Pseudomonas aeruginosa taxonomic outliers emerged recently as infectious for humans, provoking hemorrhagic pneumonia. Those bacteria lack classical type III secretion system, and utilize the pore-forming toxin for infection. Two clones CLJ1 and CLJ3 belonging to these taxonomic outliers have been isolated from the same patient at two different times during hospitalization. P. aeruginosa CLJ3 displays antibiotic resistance phenotype, while CLJ1 is more cytotoxic on epithelial and endothelial cells.
Project description:With the global increase in the use of carbapenems, several gram-negative bacteria have acquired carbapenem resistance, thereby limiting treatment options. Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of such notorious pathogen that is being widely studied to find novel resistance mechanisms and drug targets. These antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates generally harbor many genetic alterations, and identification of causal mutations will provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. We propose a method to prioritize mutated genes responsible for antibiotic resistance, in which mutated genes that also show significant expression changes among their functionally coupled genes become more likely candidates. For network-based analyses, we developed a genome-scale co-functional network of K. pneumoniae genes, KlebNet (www.inetbio.org/klebnet). Using KlebNet, we could reconstruct functional modules for antibiotic-resistance, and virulence, and retrieved functional association between them. With complementation assays with top candidate genes, we could validate a gene for negative regulation of meropenem resistance and four genes for positive regulation of virulence in Galleria mellonella larvae. Therefore, our study demonstrated the feasibility of network-based identification of genes required for antimicrobial resistance and virulence of human pathogenic bacteria with genomic and transcriptomic profiles from antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates.
Project description:We gathered the proteomic profile of 202 clinical P. aeruginosa isolates derived from a cystic fibrosis lung under planktonic growth conditions. Firstly, a comprehensive transcript/protein correlation across 174 clinical isolates at the same growth stage was performed allowing a characterization of proteins with long and short lifetimes. Consistent with the results from previous studies, proteins of the translational machinery and the key Quorum sensing mediators RpoS, Vfr, RhlR and MvfR were characterized as short-lived proteins. Again, no biochemical metric could explain differences between protein lifetimes further demonstrating a potentially undervalued importance of post-transcriptional regulation.
Secondly, a comparative multi-omics analysis was performed that highlighted the capacity to unearth novel characteristics for both antibiotic resistance and virulence traits. Investigating various tobramycin resistance mechanisms, the efflux pump system MexXY-OprM was determined as a key contributor of aminoglycoside modifying enzyme-driven resistance. MexY protein abundance was furthermore found to be directly regulated by the negative regulator MexZ. In tobramycin resistant isolates, the MexZ regulator was frequently identified as mutated or completely absent due to a possibly unidentified mechanism. This work found novel possible bacterial virulence factors by statistically comparing quantitative data and phenotypic survival data from a Galleria mellonella infection model. Additionally, a Random forest machine learning model was applied. The predictors with the highest predictive importance for the phenotypes of swarming motility, various antibiotic resistance phenotypes, and virulence were listed and discussed.
Project description:Staphylococcus haemolyticus is a skin commensal emerging as an opportunistic pathogen. Nosocomial isolates of S. haemolyticus are the most antibiotic resistant members of the coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS), but information about other S.haemolyticus virulence factors is scarce. Bacterial virulence is mediated by membrane vesicles (MVs) which enable secretion and long distance delivery of bacterial effector molecules while protecting the cargo from proteolytic degradation from the environment. We wanted to determine if the MV protein cargo of S.haemolyticus is strain specific and enriched in certain MV associated proteins compared to the totalsecretome. The present study shows that both clinical and commensal S. haemolyticus isolates produce membrane vesicles. The MV cargo of both strains was enriched in proteins involved in adhesion and in acquisition of iron. The MV cargo of the clinical strain was further enriched in antimicrobial resistance proteins.
Project description:Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a predominant pathogen in chronic lung infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). Epidemic strains of P. aeruginosa, such as the Liverpool Epidemic Strain (LES), are capable of transferring between CF patients and have been associated with increased hospital visits and antibiotic treatments. Comparative genomics and phenotypic assays have shown that antibiotic resistance profiles differ among LES isolates and that genotype–phenotype associations are difficult to establish for resistance phenotypes in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa based on these comparisons alone. We compared two LES isolates, LESlike1 and LESB58, and the common laboratory strain P. aeruginosa PAO1 using label-free quantitative proteomics to more accurately predict functional differences between strains. The proteomes of the LES isolates were found to be more similar to each other than to PAO1. However, we also observed a number of differences in the abundance of proteins involved in quorum sensing, virulence, and antibiotic resistance, including in the comparison of LESlike1 and LESB58. Specifically, the proteomic data revealed a higher abundance of proteins involved in polymyxin and aminoglycoside resistance in LESlike1. Minimum inhibitory concentration assays confirmed that LESlike1 has higher resistance to antibiotics from these classes. These findings provide an example of the ability of proteomic data to complement genotypic and phenotypic studies to understand resistance in clinical isolates.
Project description:Bacteria of the genus Achromobacter are environmental germs, with an unknown reservoir, which can become opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised patients, and be responsible for bacteremia, meningitis, pneumonia and peritonitis. Achromobacter xylosoxidans is an emerging pathogenic bacterium frequently isolated in the context of cystic fibrosis (CF). Recent studies show that A. xylosoxidans is involved in the degradation of the respiratory function of CF patients. The respiratory ecosystem of CF patients is colonized by bacterial species that constantly fight for space and access to nutrients. In particular, these bacteria use an antagonism system, a type VI secretion nanomachine (T6SS), which represents a virulence factor in many pathogenic bacteria. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of the T6SS genes in Achromobacter xylosoxidans isolated in cystic fibrosis patient. We also evaluated clinical and molecular characteristics of T6SS-positive A. xylosoxidans strains. We have shown that A. xylosoxidans possesses a T6SS-encoded gene cluster and that some environmental and clinical isolates assemble a functional T6SS nanomachine. The A. xylosoxidans T6SS is used to target competitor bacteria, including other CF-specific pathogens. We gathered some evidences pointing toward a role of T6SS in CF-lung colonization: i, CF mimicking conditions trigger the activation of A. xylosoxidans T6SS; ii, we detected Hcp in the sputum of CF patient and iii, the T6SS helps internalization of A. xylosoxidans in lung epithelial cells. Our study highlights a new clinical determinant of the virulence of A. xylosoxidans as well as new diagnostic and therapeutic options in cystic fibrosis.
Project description:The increasing antibiotic resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae poses a serious threat to global public health. To investigate the antibiotic resistance mechanism of Klebsiella pneumonia, we performed gene expression profiling analysis using RNA-seq data for clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumonia, KPN16 and ATCC13883. Our results showed that mutant strain KPN16 is likely to act against the antibiotics through increased increased butanoate metabolism and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, and decreased transmembrane transport activity.
Project description:Emerging known and unknown pathogens create profound threats to public health. Platforms for rapid detection and characterization of microbial agents are critically needed to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks. Available detection technologies cannot provide broad functional information about known and novel organisms. As a step toward developing such a system, we have produced and tested a series of high-density functional gene arrays to detect elements of virulence and antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Our first generation array targets genes from Escherichia coli strains K12 and CFT073, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. We determined optimal probe design parameters for gene family detection and discrimination. When tested with organisms at varying phylogenetic distances from the four target strains, the array detected orthologs for the majority of targeted gene families present in bacteria belonging to the same taxonomic family. In combination with whole-genome amplification, the array detects femtogram concentrations of purified DNA, either spiked in to an aerosol sample background, or in combinations from one or more of the four target organisms. This is the first report of a high density NimbleGen microarray system targeting microbial antibiotic resistance and virulence mechanisms. By targeting virulence gene families as well as genes unique to specific biothreat agents, these arrays will provide important data about the pathogenic potential and drug resistance profiles of unknown organisms in environmental samples. Keywords: detection, pathogen, virulence mechanism In this report, we describe the process used to design our first generation functional array for highly sensitive detection of virulence and antibiotic resistance gene families. We discuss the probe design algorithms, including virulence gene sequence selection, and our protocols for sample preparation, amplification, labeling, hybridization, and data analysis. We present the results from experiments designed to assess whether the array can detect virulence gene orthologs from organisms without perfect match probes on the array, using both targeted mismatch probes and hybridizations to DNA from other organisms. Also, we report the results from limit of detection studies, using known amounts of bacterial DNA spiked into aerosol samples to measure the minimal concentration required for detection of virulence elements against a complex background.
Project description:Emerging known and unknown pathogens create profound threats to public health. Platforms for rapid detection and characterization of microbial agents are critically needed to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks. Available detection technologies cannot provide broad functional information about known and novel organisms. As a step toward developing such a system, we have produced and tested a series of high-density functional gene arrays to detect elements of virulence and antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Our first generation array targets genes from Escherichia coli strains K12 and CFT073, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. We determined optimal probe design parameters for gene family detection and discrimination. When tested with organisms at varying phylogenetic distances from the four target strains, the array detected orthologs for the majority of targeted gene families present in bacteria belonging to the same taxonomic family. In combination with whole-genome amplification, the array detects femtogram concentrations of purified DNA, either spiked in to an aerosol sample background, or in combinations from one or more of the four target organisms. This is the first report of a high density NimbleGen microarray system targeting microbial antibiotic resistance and virulence mechanisms. By targeting virulence gene families as well as genes unique to specific biothreat agents, these arrays will provide important data about the pathogenic potential and drug resistance profiles of unknown organisms in environmental samples. Keywords: detection, pathogen, virulence mechanism