PlasmidPub Date : 2023-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102706
Laura Brülisauer , Ricardo León-Sampedro , Alex R. Hall
{"title":"Clinical antibiotic-resistance plasmids have small effects on biofilm formation and population growth in Escherichia coli in vitro","authors":"Laura Brülisauer , Ricardo León-Sampedro , Alex R. Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102706","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102706","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Antimicrobial resistance (AR) mechanisms encoded on plasmids can affect other phenotypic traits in bacteria, including biofilm formation. These effects may be important contributors to the spread of AR and the evolutionary success of plasmids, but it is not yet clear how common such effects are for clinical plasmids/bacteria, and how they vary among different plasmids and host strains. Here, we used a combinatorial approach to test the effects of clinical AR plasmids on biofilm formation and population growth in clinical and laboratory <em>Escherichia coli</em> strains. In most of the 25 plasmid-bacterium combinations tested, we observed no significant change in biofilm formation upon plasmid introduction, contrary to the notion that plasmids frequently alter biofilm formation. In a few cases we detected altered biofilm formation, and these effects were specific to particular plasmid-bacterium combinations. By contrast, we found a relatively strong effect of a chromosomal streptomycin-resistance mutation (in <em>rpsL</em>) on biofilm formation. Further supporting weak and host-strain-dependent effects of clinical plasmids on bacterial phenotypes in the combinations we tested, we found growth costs associated with plasmid carriage (measured in the absence of antibiotics) were moderate and varied among bacterial strains. These findings suggest some key clinical resistance plasmids cause only mild phenotypic disruption to their host bacteria, which may contribute to the persistence of plasmids in the absence of antibiotics.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 102706"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10532255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlasmidPub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102693
Dimple Davray, Ram Kulkarni
{"title":"In-silico functional analysis of hypothetical proteins from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum plasmids reveals enrichment of cell envelope proteins","authors":"Dimple Davray, Ram Kulkarni","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102693","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102693","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</em><span> is one of the important species of lactic acid bacterium (LAB) found in diverse environments, with many strains exhibiting probiotic properties. In our previous study, 41.6% of protein families (PFs) encoded by 395 plasmids from several </span><em>L. plantarum</em> strains were found to be hypothetical proteins with no predicted function. This study aimed at predicting the functions of these 647 hypothetical proteins using 21 different bioinformatics methods. As a result, 160 PFs could be newly annotated. A lower proportion of plasmid-specific functions was annotated as compared to the functions shared between plasmids and chromosomes. Also, hypothetical proteins were less conserved than the annotated proteins across <em>L.</em> <em>plantarum</em><span><span> plasmids. Based on the subcellular localization, cell envelope proteins represented the biggest category in the newly annotated proteins. Transporters (112 PFs) which was a part of cell envelop proteins represented the largest functional group. Additionally, 40 and 25 other PFs were predicted to contain </span>signal peptides and transmembrane helices, respectively. We speculate that such hypothetical proteins might be involved in the transport of various chemicals and environmental interactions in </span><em>L</em>. <em>plantarum</em>. In the future, functional characterization of these proteins through wet-lab experimental approach can provide novel insights into their contribution to the physiology, probiotic properties, and industrial utility of these bacteria.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 102693"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10432780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlasmidPub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102694
Patricia Siguier, Manuel Campos, François Cornet, Jean-Yves Bouet, Catherine Guynet
{"title":"Atypical low-copy number plasmid segregation systems, all in one?","authors":"Patricia Siguier, Manuel Campos, François Cornet, Jean-Yves Bouet, Catherine Guynet","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102694","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102694","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Plasmid families harbor different maintenances functions, depending on their size and copy number. Low copy number plasmids rely on active partition systems, organizing a partition complex at specific centromere sites that is actively positioned using NTPase proteins. Some low copy number plasmids lack an active partition system, but carry atypical intracellular positioning systems using a single protein that binds to the centromere site but without an associated NTPase. These systems have been studied in the case of the </span><em>Escherichia coli</em> R388 and of the <span><em>Staphylococcus aureus</em></span> pSK1 plasmids. Here we review these two systems, which appear to be unrelated but share common features, such as their distribution on plasmids of medium size and copy number, certain activities of their centromere-binding proteins, StbA and Par, respectively, as well as their mode of action, which may involve dynamic interactions with the nucleoid-packed chromosome of their hosts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 102694"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10432797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlasmidPub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102696
Patricia Siguier , Philippe Rousseau , François Cornet , Michael Chandler
{"title":"A subclass of the IS1202 family of bacterial insertion sequences targets XerCD recombination sites","authors":"Patricia Siguier , Philippe Rousseau , François Cornet , Michael Chandler","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102696","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102696","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We describe here a new family of IS which are related to IS<em>1202</em>, originally isolated from <span><em>Streptococcus pneumoniae</em></span><span> in the mid-1990s and previously tagged as an emerging IS family in the ISfinder database. Members of this family have impacted some important properties of their hosts. We describe here another potentially important property of certain family members: specific targeting of xrs recombination sites.</span></p><p><span>The family could be divided into three subgroups based on their transposase sequences and the length on the target repeats (DR) they generate on insertion: subgroup IS</span><em>1202</em> (24<span>–</span>29 bp); IS<em>Tde1</em> (15<span>–</span>18 bp); and IS<em>Aba32</em> (5<span>–</span>6 bp). Members of the IS<em>Aba32</em> subgroup were repeatedly found abutting <u>X</u>er recombinase <u>r</u>ecombination <u>s</u>ites (<em>xrs</em>), separated by an intervening copy of a DR. These <em>xrs</em> sites, present in multiple copies in a number of <span><em>Acinetobacter</em></span><span><span> plasmids flanking antibiotic resistance genes, were proposed to form a new type of </span>mobile genetic element<span> using the chromosomally-encoded XerCD recombinase for mobility. Transposase alignments identified subgroup-specific indels which may be responsible for the differences in the transposition properties of the three subgroups (i.e. DR length and target specificity). We propose that this collection of IS be classed as a new insertion sequence family: the IS</span></span><em>1202</em> family composed of three subgroups, only one of which specifically targets plasmid-borne <em>xrs</em>. We discuss the implications of <em>xrs</em> targeting for gene mobility.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 102696"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10079716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlasmidPub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102698
Stephanie J. Ambrose, Ruth M. Hall
{"title":"Effect of the S008-sgaCD operon on IncC plasmid stability in the presence of SGI1-K or absence of an SGI1 variant","authors":"Stephanie J. Ambrose, Ruth M. Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102698","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102698","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>An IncC or IncA plasmid is needed to enable transfer of SGI1 type integrative mobilisable elements but an IncC plasmid does not stably co-exist with SGI1. However, the plasmid is stably maintained with SGI1-K, a natural SGI1 deletion variant that lacks the <em>sgaDC</em> genes (S007 and S006) and the upstream open reading frame (S008) found in the SGI1 backbone. Here, the effect of the <em>sgaDC</em> genes and S008 on the stability of an IncC plasmid in an <em>Escherichia coli</em> strain with or without SGI1-K was examined. Co-transcription of the S008 open reading frame with the downstream <em>sgaDC</em> genes was established. When a strain containing SGI1-K complemented with a pK18 plasmid that included S008-<em>sgaDC</em> or <em>sgaDC</em> expressed from the constitutive pUC promoter was grown without antibiotic selection, the resident IncC plasmid was rapidly lost but loss was slower when S008 was present. In contrast, SGI1-K and the S008-<em>sgaDC</em> or <em>sgaDC</em> plasmid were quite stably maintained for >100 generations. However, the high copy number plasmids carrying the SGI1-derived S008-<em>sgaDC</em> or <em>sgaDC</em> genes constitutively expressed could not be introduced into an <em>E. coli</em> strain carrying the IncC plasmid but without SGI1-K. Using equivalent plasmids with S008-<em>sgaDC</em> or <em>sgaDC</em> genes controlled by an arabinose-inducible promoter, under inducing conditions the IncC plasmid was stable but the plasmid containing the SGI1-derived genes was rapidly lost. This unexpected observation indicates that there are multiple interactions between the IncC plasmid and SGI1 in which the transcriptional activator genes <em>sgaDC</em> play a role. These interactions will require further investigation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 102698"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10069671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlasmidPub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102695
Angela M. Sánchez-Salazar , Tanvi Taparia , Asmus K. Olesen , Jacquelinne J. Acuña , Søren J. Sørensen , Milko A. Jorquera
{"title":"An overview of plasmid transfer in the plant microbiome","authors":"Angela M. Sánchez-Salazar , Tanvi Taparia , Asmus K. Olesen , Jacquelinne J. Acuña , Søren J. Sørensen , Milko A. Jorquera","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102695","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102695","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Plant microbiomes<span> are pivotal for healthy plant physiological development. Microbes live in complex co-association with plant hosts, and interactions within these microbial communities vary with plant genotype, plant compartment, phenological stage, and soil properties, among others. Plant microbiomes also harbor a substantial and diverse pool of mobile genes encoded on plasmids. Several plasmid functions attributed to plant-associated bacteria are relatively poorly understood. Additionally, the role of plasmids in disseminating genetic traits within plant compartments is not well known. Here, we present the current knowledge on the occurrence, diversity, function, and transfer of plasmids in plant microbiomes, emphasizing the factors that could modulate gene transfer </span></span><em>in-planta</em><span>. We also describe the role of the plant microbiome as a plasmid reservoir and the dissemination of its genetic material. We include a brief discussion on the current methodological limitations in studying plasmid transfer within plant microbiomes. This information could be useful to elucidate the dynamics of the bacterial gene pools, the adaptations different organisms have made, and variations in bacterial populations that might have never been described before, particularly in complex microbial communities associated with plants in natural and anthropogenic impacted environments.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 102695"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10453055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlasmidPub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102686
Delphine Maze , Caroline Girardin , Nathalie Benz , Tristan Montier , Chantal Pichon , Patrick Midoux
{"title":"CFTR and dystrophin encoding plasmids carrying both luciferase reporter gene, nuclear import specific sequences and triple helix sites","authors":"Delphine Maze , Caroline Girardin , Nathalie Benz , Tristan Montier , Chantal Pichon , Patrick Midoux","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Cystic Fibrosis<span><span><span> are two major monogenetic diseases which could be treated by non-viral gene therapy. For this purpose, plasmid DNA<span> (pDNA) coding for the functional genes requires its equipment with signal molecules favouring its intracellular trafficking and delivery in the nucleus of the target cells. Here, two novel constructions of large pDNAs encoding the </span></span>Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) and full-length </span>dystrophin (DYS) genes are reported. The expression of </span></span><em>CFTR</em> and <em>DYS genes</em><span><span><span> are driven respectively by the hCEF1 airway epithelial cells and spc5–12 muscle cells specific promoter. Those pDNAs encode also the luciferase<span> reporter gene driven by the CMV<span> promoter to evaluate gene delivery in animals by bioluminescence. In addition, oligopurine • oligopyrimidine sequences are inserted to enable equipment of pDNAs with peptides conjugated with a </span></span></span>triple helix forming </span>oligonucleotide (TFO). Furthermore, specific κB sequences are also inserted to promote their NFκB-mediated nuclear import. pDNA constructions are reported; transfection efficiency, tissue specific expression of CFTR and dystrophin in target cells, and triple helix formation are demonstrated. These plasmids are tools of interest to develop non-viral gene therapy of Cystic Fibrosis and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 102686"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10090361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlasmidPub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102697
Jean-Yves Bouet , François Cornet , Eva Top
{"title":"Plasmids on the move: Latest advances in Plasmid Biology from ISPB2022","authors":"Jean-Yves Bouet , François Cornet , Eva Top","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102697","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102697","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 102697"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10433302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlasmidPub Date : 2023-05-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102685
Olivia Kosterlitz , Jana S. Huisman
{"title":"Guidelines for the estimation and reporting of plasmid conjugation rates","authors":"Olivia Kosterlitz , Jana S. Huisman","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102685","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102685","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Conjugation is a central characteristic of plasmid biology and an important mechanism of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. However, there is little consensus on how to accurately estimate and report plasmid conjugation rates, in part due to the wide range of available methods. Given the similarity between approaches, we propose general reporting guidelines for plasmid conjugation experiments. These constitute best practices based on recent literature about plasmid conjugation and methods to measure conjugation rates. In addition to the general guidelines, we discuss common theoretical assumptions underlying existing methods to estimate conjugation rates and provide recommendations on how to avoid violating these assumptions. We hope this will aid the implementation and evaluation of conjugation rate measurements, and initiate a broader discussion regarding the practice of quantifying plasmid conjugation rates.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 102685"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9519577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlasmidPub Date : 2023-05-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102680
Sarah Djermoun, Audrey Reuter, Elisabeth Derollez, Christian Lesterlin, Sarah Bigot
{"title":"Reprogramming Targeted-Antibacterial-Plasmids (TAPs) to achieve broad-host range antibacterial activity","authors":"Sarah Djermoun, Audrey Reuter, Elisabeth Derollez, Christian Lesterlin, Sarah Bigot","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102680","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102680","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance results in antibiotic inefficiency against multidrug resistant bacterial strains. Alternative treatment to antibiotics must be investigated to fight bacterial infections and limit this global public health problem. We recently developed an innovative strategy based on mobilizable Targeted-Antibacterial-Plasmids (TAPs) that deliver CRISPR/Cas systems with strain-specific antibacterial activity, using the F plasmid conjugation machinery for transfer into the targeted strains. These TAPs were shown to specifically kill a variety of Enterobacteriaceae strains, including <em>E. coli</em> K12 and the pathogen strains EPEC, <em>Enterobacter cloacae</em> and <em>Citrobacter rodentium</em>. Here, we extend the host-range of TAPs using the RP4 plasmid conjugation system for their mobilization, thus allowing the targeting of <em>E. coli</em> but also phylogenetically distant species, including <em>Salmonella enterica</em> Thyphimurium, <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em>, <em>Vibrio cholerae</em>, and <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>. This work demonstrates the versatility of the TAP strategy and represents a significant step toward the development of non-antibiotic strain-specific antimicrobial treatments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 102680"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9522047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}