Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. lactis and ssp. bulgaricus: a chronicle of evolution in action

Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. lactis and ssp. bulgaricus are lactic acid producing bacteria that are largely used in dairy industries, notably in cheese-making and yogurt production. An earlier in-depth study of the first completely sequenced ssp. bulgaricus genome revealed the characteristics of a genome in an active phase of rapid evolution, in what appears to be an adaptation to the milk environment. Here we examine for the first time if the same conclusions apply to the ssp. lactis, and discuss intra- and inter-subspecies genomic diversity in the context of evolutionary adaptation. RESULTS: Both L. delbrueckii ssp. show the signs of reductive evolution through the elimination of superfluous genes, thereby limiting their carbohydrate metabolic capacities and amino acid biosynthesis potential. In the ssp. lactis this reductive evolution has gone less far than in the ssp. bulgaricus. Consequently, the ssp. lactis retained more extended carbohydrate metabolizing capabilities than the ssp. bulgaricus but, due to high intra-subspecies diversity, very few carbohydrate substrates, if any, allow a reliable distinction of the two ssp.. We further show that one of the most important traits, lactose fermentation, of one of the economically most important dairy bacteria, L. delbruecki ssp. bulgaricus, relies on horizontally acquired rather than deep ancestral genes. In this sense this bacterium may thus be regarded as a natural GMO avant la lettre. CONCLUSIONS: The dairy lactic acid producing bacteria L. delbrueckii ssp. lactis and ssp. bulgaricus appear to represent different points on the same evolutionary track of adaptation to the milk environment through the loss of superfluous functions and the acquisition of functions that allow an optimized utilization of milk resources, where the ssp. bulgaricus has progressed further away from the common ancestor

A novel SMC-like protein, SbcE (YhaN), is involved in DNA double-strand break repair and competence in Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus subtilis and most Gram positive bacteria possess four SMC like proteins: SMC, SbcC, RecN and the product of the yhaN gene, termed SbcE. SbcE is most similar to SbcC but contains a unique central domain. We show that SbcE plays a role during transformation in competent cells and in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. The phenotypes were strongly exacerbated by the additional deletion of recN or of sbcC, suggesting that all three proteins act upstream of RecA and provide distinct avenues for presynapsis. SbcE accumulated at the cell poles in competent cells, and localized as a discrete focus on the nucleoids in 10% of growing cells. This number moderately increased after treatment with DNA damaging agents and in the absence of RecN or of SbcC. Damage-induced foci of SbcE arose early after induction of DNA damage and rarely colocalized with the replication machinery. Our work shows that SMC-like proteins in B. subtilis play roles at different subcellular sites during DNA repair. SbcC operates at breaks occurring at the replication machinery, whereas RecN and SbcE function mainly, but not exclusively, at DSBs arising elsewhere on the chromosome. In agreement with this idea, we found that RecN-YFP damage-induced assemblies also arise in the absence of ongoing replication

Translesion-synthesis DNA polymerases participate in replication of the telomeres in Streptomyces

Linear chromosomes and linear plasmids of Streptomyces are capped by terminal proteins that are covalently bound to the 5′-ends of DNA. Replication is initiated from an internal origin, which leaves single-stranded gaps at the 3′-ends. These gaps are patched by terminal protein-primed DNA synthesis. Streptomyces contain five DNA polymerases: one DNA polymerase I (Pol I), two DNA polymerases III (Pol III) and two DNA polymerases IV (Pol IV). Of these, one Pol III, DnaE1, is essential for replication, and Pol I is not required for end patching. In this study, we found the two Pol IVs (DinB1 and DinB2) to be involved in end patching. dinB1 and dinB2 could not be co-deleted from wild-type strains containing a linear chromosome, but could be co-deleted from mutant strains containing a circular chromosome. The resulting ΔdinB1 ΔdinB2 mutants supported replication of circular but not linear plasmids, and exhibited increased ultraviolet sensitivity and ultraviolet-induced mutagenesis. In contrast, the second Pol III, DnaE2, was not required for replication, end patching, or ultraviolet resistance and mutagenesis. All five polymerase genes are relatively syntenous in the Streptomyces chromosomes, including a 4-bp overlap between dnaE2 and dinB2. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the dinB1-dinB2 duplication occurred in a common actinobacterial ancestor

Transcriptional regulation of NAD metabolism in bacteria: genomic reconstruction of NiaR (YrxA) regulon

A comparative genomic approach was used to reconstruct transcriptional regulation of NAD biosynthesis in bacteria containing orthologs of Bacillus subtilis gene yrxA, a previously identified niacin-responsive repressor of NAD de novo synthesis. Members of YrxA family (re-named here NiaR) are broadly conserved in the Bacillus/Clostridium group and in the deeply branching Fusobacteria and Thermotogales lineages. We analyzed upstream regions of genes associated with NAD biosynthesis to identify candidate NiaR-binding DNA motifs and assess the NiaR regulon content in these species. Representatives of the two distinct types of candidate NiaR-binding sites, characteristic of the Firmicutes and Thermotogales, were verified by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. In addition to transcriptional control of the nadABC genes, the NiaR regulon in some species extends to niacin salvage (the pncAB genes) and includes uncharacterized membrane proteins possibly involved in niacin transport. The involvement in niacin uptake proposed for one of these proteins (re-named NiaP), encoded by the B. subtilis gene yceI, was experimentally verified. In addition to bacteria, members of the NiaP family are conserved in multicellular eukaryotes, including human, pointing to possible NaiP involvement in niacin utilization in these organisms. Overall, the analysis of the NiaR and NrtR regulons (described in the accompanying paper) revealed mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of NAD metabolism in nearly a hundred diverse bacteria

Genome Analysis of the Anaerobic Thermohalophilic Bacterium Halothermothrix orenii

Halothermothirx orenii is a strictly anaerobic thermohalophilic bacterium isolated from sediment of a Tunisian salt lake. It belongs to the order Halanaerobiales in the phylum Firmicutes. The complete sequence revealed that the genome consists of one circular chromosome of 2578146 bps encoding 2451 predicted genes. This is the first genome sequence of an organism belonging to the Haloanaerobiales. Features of both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria were identified with the presence of both a sporulating mechanism typical of Firmicutes and a characteristic Gram negative lipopolysaccharide being the most prominent. Protein sequence analyses and metabolic reconstruction reveal a unique combination of strategies for thermophilic and halophilic adaptation. H. orenii can serve as a model organism for the study of the evolution of the Gram negative phenotype as well as the adaptation under thermohalophilic conditions and the development of biotechnological applications under conditions that require high temperatures and high salt concentrations

Intégration fonctionnelle du complexe SMC chez bacillus subtilis (étude de suppresseurs)

Les protéines de type SMC (pour Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes ) sont impliquées dans différents aspects de la dynamique du chromosome tels que la condensation, la ségrégation et la réparation de l ADN. En effet, une souche de Bacillus subtilis dépourvue de SMC présente des phénotypes sévères tels qu un défaut dans la compaction et le partitionnement du chromosome, une sensibilité accrue à certaines drogues endommageant l ADN ainsi qu à des inhibiteurs de gyrase. Une telle souche est incapable de croître en condition de croissance rapide. Pour comprendre l étendue des phénotypes associés à la perte de ce gène, une identification génétique de nouveaux partenaires a été entreprise : des suppresseurs spontanés de la délétion de smc ont été isolés en condition de croissance rapide. Différentes classes de suppresseurs ont été mises en évidence, suggérant que différentes mutations pouvaient restaurer la viabilité d une souche dépourvue de SMC. Leur caractérisation a révélé qu'ils permettaient de restaurer une partie des défauts que présente le mutant smc, en particulier la résistance aux inhibiteurs de gyrase, et semblaient limiter la formation de cassures de l'ADN. Par séquençage du génome complet des suppresseurs, certaines de ces mutations ont pu être identifiées, et semblent causer une perturbation de la voie de biosynthèse des ARN de transfert. Cette perturbation permet de restaurer le défaut de croissance, et ce plus efficacement qu une inhibition de la traduction par des drogues comme le chloramphénicol, ou par la réduction du pool de nucléotides par l hydroxyurée. L ensemble de ces résultats suggère que la réponse stringente pourrait être en partie responsable du phénotype suppresseur. Il est proposé qu en dehors de la compaction du chromosome, le complexe SMC soit directement impliqué dans le maintien de l intégrité des fourches de réplication.SMC proteins (for "Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes") are involved in different aspects of chromosome dynamic such as condensation, segregation and DNA repair. Indeed, a Bacillus subtilis mutant lacking the SMC complex shows severe phenotypes such as defects in condensation and chromosome partitioning, an increase in sensitivity DNA damaging drugs or gyrase inhibitors. The viability of such strain is limited to conditions of slow growth. To understand the range of phenotypes associated with loss of this gene, a genetic identification of new partners was undertaken: spontaneous suppressors of smc deletion were isolated in rapid growth conditions. Different classes of suppressors have been identified, suggesting that different mutations could restore the viability of a strain lacking SMC complex. Characterization of suppressors revealed they can restore some of the defects shown in smc mutant, particularly resistance to gyrase inhibitors, and seemed to limit the formation of DNA breaks. By sequencing the complete genome of suppressors, some of these mutations have been identified and cause an alteration of the biosynthetic pathway of transfer RNA. This disruption can restore the growth defect more efficiently than inhibition of translation by drugs such as chloramphenicol, or by reducing the pool of nucleotides by hydroxyurea. Taken together, these results suggest that the stringent response could be partly responsible for the suppressor phenotype. It is proposed that apart from the compaction of the chromosome, the SMC complex is directly involved in maintaining the integrity of replication forks.PARIS11-SCD-Bib. électronique (914719901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Frequency of deletion formation decreases exponentially with distance between short direct repeats

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Analysis of essential genes

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