Project description:Many clinically relevant bacterial pathogens are encapsulated, as exemplified by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. S. Typhi, the causative agent of the life-threatening systemic disease enteric fever, expresses Vi as the outermost surface glycan that protects the bacteria from host immune responses. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) S. Typhi strains, as well as Vi variants, are widespread globally. Our WGS analyses indicate that almost all S. Typhi clinical isolates are susceptible to rifamycins and azithromycin. Rifampin, even at sub-MIC levels, eliminates the protective capsule Vi, a process referred to as ‘decapsulation’, thereby enhancing bacterial clearance. Antibiotic-mediated decapsulation of S. Typhi appears specific to rifamycins, since azithromycin does not decapsulate S. Typhi. Rifampin mediated decapsulation occurs at the transcriptional level, where both high AT content and specific RpoB residues play a crucial role. Rifampin also effectively decapsulates Vi variants, which accounts for 1 in 5 S. Typhi isolates at the global level. A mechanistic explanation for rifampin mediated decapsulation of S. Typhi appears to be applicable to other encapsulated pathogens, including S. Paratyphi C.
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:Precise definition of porin profiles is of critical importance to understand the role of porins in antimicrobial resistance. In this study, the outer membrane proteins (OMP) profiles of 26 clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and of strain ATCC 13883 (wild-type) and ATCC 700603 (producing SHV-18) have been determined using both sodium-dodecyl-sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time of flight/mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). SDS-PAGE was performed using both homemade and commercial gels, and protein bands were identified by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. A rapid extraction method was used to analyse OMPs by MALDI-TOF/MS. The sequences of porin genes were obtained by whole genome sequencing (WGS) and mutations were defined by BLAST. Same results were obtained for all strains either using SDS-PAGE or MALDI-TOF/MS. SDS-PAGE showed protein bands of ~35, ~36, and ~37 KDa, identified as OmpA, OmpK36 and OmpK35, respectively. By MALDI-TOF/MS, peaks at ~35700 (OmpA), ~37000 (OmpK35), and ~38000 (OmpK36) m/z were detected. ompK35 was intact in nine wild-type isolates and was truncated in 13 isolates, but OmpK35 was not observed in 3 isolates without mutations in ompK35. One point mutation was detected in another isolate and multiple mutations were detected in the remaining isolate. ompK36 was truncated in two isolates lacking this protein and presented one point mutation (n=1) or multiple mutations in the remaining isolates. In conclusion, MALDI-TOF/MS was reliable for porin detection, but because of the complex regulation of porin genes, WGS cannot always anticipate protein expression, as observed with SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF/MS.
Project description:We performed shallow whole genome sequencing (WGS) on circulating free (cf)DNA extracted from plasma or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and shallow WGS on the tissue DNA extracted from the biopsy in order to evaluate the correlation between the two biomaterials. After library construction and sequencing (Hiseq3000 or Ion Proton), copy number variations were called with WisecondorX.
Project description:We compare the transcriptome of gnotobiotic Ae. aegypti generated by contaminating axenic (bacteria-free) larvae with bacterial isolates found in natural mosquito breeding sites. We focused on four bacterial isolates (Lysobacter, Flavobacterium, Paenibacillus and Enterobacteriaceae) and found that different gnotobiotic treatments resulted in massive transcriptomic changes throughout the mosquito development.
Project description:Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) arises from complex genetic and regulatory changes, including single mutations, gene acquisitions or cumulative effects. Advancements in genomics and proteomics facilitate more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms behind antimicrobial resistance. In this study, 74 clinically obtained Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates with increased meropenem and/or imipenem MICs were characterized by broth microdilution and PCR to check for the presence of carbapenemase genes. Subsequently, a representative subset of 15 isolates was selected for whole genome sequencing (WGS) by Illumina and Nanopore sequencing, and proteomic analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to investigate the mechanisms underlying the differences in carbapenem susceptibility of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. Identical techniques were applied to characterize 4 mutants obtained after sequential meropenem exposure. We demonstrated that in clinically obtained isolates, increased copy numbers of blaOXA-48 containing plasmids, combined with OmpK36 loss, contributed to high carbapenem MICs without involvement of OmpK35 or other porins or efflux systems. In the meropenem exposed mutants, increased copy numbers of blaCTX-M-15 or blaOXA-48 containing plasmids, combined with OmpK36 loss was demonstrated. The OmpK36 loss resulted from the insertion of IS1 transposable elements or partial deletion of the ompK36 gene. Additionally, we identified two mutations, C59A and C58A, in the DNA coding the copA antisense RNA of IncFII plasmids and multiple mutations of an IncR plasmid, associated with increased plasmid copy numbers. This study demonstrates that by combining WGS and LC-MS/MS, the effect of genomic changes on protein expression related to antibiotic resistance and the mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance can be elucidated.