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September 22, 2019  |  

Comparative genomics analysis of plasmid pPV989-94 from a clinical isolate of Pantoea vagans PV989.

Pantoea vagans, a gram-negative bacterium from the genus Pantoea and family Enterobacteriaceae, is present in various natural environments and considered to be plant endophytes. We isolated the Pantoea vagans PV989 strain from the clinic and sequenced its whole genome. Besides a chromosome DNA molecule, it also harboured three large plasmids. A comparative genomics analysis was performed for the smallest plasmid, pPV989-94. It can be divided into four regions, including three conservative regions related to replication (R1), transfer conjugation (R2), and transfer leading (R3), and one variable region (R4). Further analysis showed that pPV989-94 is most similar to plasmids LA637P2 and pEA68 of Erwinia amylovora strains isolated from fruit trees. These three plasmids share three conservative regions (R1, R2, and R3). Interestingly, a fragment (R4′) in R4, mediated by phage integrase and phage integrase family site-specific recombinase and encoding 9 genes related to glycometabolism, resistance, and DNA repair, was unique in pPV989-94. Homologues of R4′ were found in other plasmids or chromosomes, suggesting that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) occurred among different bacteria of various species or genera. The acquired functional genes may play important roles in the adaptation of bacteria to different hosts or environmental conditions.

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September 22, 2019  |  

Analysis of the draft genome of the red seaweed Gracilariopsis chorda provides insights into genome size evolution in Rhodophyta.

Red algae (Rhodophyta) underwent two phases of large-scale genome reduction during their early evolution. The red seaweeds did not attain genome sizes or gene inventories typical of other multicellular eukaryotes. We generated a high-quality 92.1 Mb draft genome assembly from the red seaweed Gracilariopsis chorda, including methylation and small (s)RNA data. We analyzed these and other Archaeplastida genomes to address three questions: 1) What is the role of repeats and transposable elements (TEs) in explaining Rhodophyta genome size variation, 2) what is the history of genome duplication and gene family expansion/reduction in these taxa, and 3) is there evidence for TE suppression in red algae? We find that the number of predicted genes in red algae is relatively small (4,803-13,125 genes), particularly when compared with land plants, with no evidence of polyploidization. Genome size variation is primarily explained by TE expansion with the red seaweeds having the largest genomes. Long terminal repeat elements and DNA repeats are the major contributors to genome size growth. About 8.3% of the G. chorda genome undergoes cytosine methylation among gene bodies, promoters, and TEs, and 71.5% of TEs contain methylated-DNA with 57% of these regions associated with sRNAs. These latter results suggest a role for TE-associated sRNAs in RNA-dependent DNA methylation to facilitate silencing. We postulate that the evolution of genome size in red algae is the result of the combined action of TE spread and the concomitant emergence of its epigenetic suppression, together with other important factors such as changes in population size.

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September 22, 2019  |  

Complete genome of streamlined marine actinobacterium Pontimonas salivibrio strain CL-TW6T adapted to coastal planktonic lifestyle.

Pontimonas salivibrio strain CL-TW6T (=KCCM 90105?=?JCM18206) was characterized as the type strain of a new genus within the Actinobacterial family Microbacteriaceae. It was isolated from a coastal marine environment in which members of Microbactericeae have not been previously characterized.The genome of P. salivibrio CL-TW6T was a single chromosome of 1,760,810 bp. Genomes of this small size are typically found in bacteria growing slowly in oligotrophic zones and said to be streamlined. Phylogenetic analysis showed it to represent a lineage originating in the Microbacteriaceae radiation occurring before the snowball Earth glaciations, and to have a closer relationship with some streamlined bacteria known through metagenomic data. Several genomic characteristics typical of streamlined bacteria are found: %G?+?C is lower than non-streamlined members of the phylum; there are a minimal number of rRNA and tRNA genes, fewer paralogs in most gene families, and only two sigma factors; there is a noticeable absence of some nonessential metabolic pathways, including polyketide synthesis and catabolism of some amino acids. There was no indication of any phage genes or plasmids, however, a system of active insertion elements was present. P. salivibrio appears to be unusual in having polyrhamnose-based cell wall oligosaccharides instead of mycolic acid or teichoic acid-based oligosaccharides. Oddly, it conducts sulfate assimilation apparently for sulfating cell wall components, but not for synthesizing amino acids. One gene family it has more of, rather than fewer of, are toxin/antitoxin systems, which are thought to down-regulate growth during nutrient deprivation or other stressful conditions.Because of the relatively small number of paralogs and its relationship to the heavily characterized Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we were able to heavily annotate the genome of P. salivibrio CL-TW6T. Its streamlined status and relationship to streamlined metagenomic constructs makes it an important reference genome for study of the streamlining concept. The final evolutionary trajectory of CL-TW6 T was to adapt to growth in a non-oligotrophic coastal zone. To understand that adaptive process, we give a thorough accounting of gene content, contrasting with both oligotrophic streamlined bacteria and large genome bacteria, and distinguishing between genes derived by vertical and horizontal descent.

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September 22, 2019  |  

Genome alterations associated with improved transformation efficiency in Lactobacillus reuteri.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are one of the microorganisms of choice for the development of protein delivery systems for therapeutic purposes. Although there are numerous tools to facilitate genome engineering of lactobacilli; transformation efficiency still limits the ability to engineer their genomes. While genetically manipulating Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 (LR 6475), we noticed that after an initial transformation, several LR 6475 strains significantly improved their ability to take up plasmid DNA via electroporation. Our goal was to understand the molecular basis for how these strains acquired the ability to increase transformation efficiency.Strains generated after transformation of plasmids pJP067 and pJP042 increased their ability to transform plasmid DNA about one million fold for pJP067, 100-fold for pSIP411 and tenfold for pNZ8048. Upon sequencing of the whole genome from these strains, we identified several genomic mutations and rearrangements, with all strains containing mutations in the transformation related gene A (trgA). To evaluate the role of trgA in transformation of DNA, we generated a trgA null that improved the transformation efficiency of LR 6475 to transform pSIP411 and pJP067 by at least 100-fold, demonstrating that trgA significantly impairs the ability of LR 6475 to take-up plasmid DNA. We also identified genomic rearrangements located in and around two prophages inserted in the LR 6475 genome that included deletions, insertions and an inversion of 336 Kb. A second group of rearrangements was observed in a Type I restriction modification system, in which the specificity subunits underwent several rearrangements in the target recognition domain. Despite the magnitude of these rearrangements in the prophage genomes and restriction modification systems, none of these genomic changes impacted transformation efficiency to the level induced by trgA.Our findings demonstrate how genetic manipulation of LR 6475 with plasmid DNA leads to genomic changes that improve their ability to transform plasmid DNA; highlighting trgA as the primary driver of this phenotype. Additionally, this study also underlines the importance of characterizing genetic changes that take place after genome engineering of strains for therapeutic purposes.

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September 22, 2019  |  

2,3-Butanediol production by the non-pathogenic bacterium Paenibacillus brasilensis.

2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BDO) is of considerable importance in the chemical, plastic, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. The main bacterial species producing this compound are considered pathogenic, hindering large-scale productivity. The species Paenibacillus brasilensis is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and is phylogenetically similar to P. polymyxa, a species widely used for 2,3-BDO production. Here, we demonstrate, for the first time, that P. brasilensis strains produce 2,3-BDO. Total 2,3-BDO concentrations for 15 P. brasilensis strains varied from 5.5 to 7.6 g/l after 8 h incubation at 32 °C in modified YEPD medium containing 20 g/l glucose. Strain PB24 produced 8.2 g/l of 2,3-BDO within a 12-h growth period, representing a yield of 0.43 g/g and a productivity of 0.68 g/l/h. An increase in 2,3-BDO production by strain PB24 was observed using higher concentrations of glucose, reaching 27 g/l of total 2,3-BDO in YEPD containing about 80 g/l glucose within a 72-h growth period. We sequenced the genome of P. brasilensis PB24 and uncovered at least six genes related to the 2,3-BDO pathway at four distinct loci. We also compared gene sequences related to the 2,3-BDO pathway in P. brasilensis PB24 with those of other spore-forming bacteria, and found strong similarity to P. polymyxa, P. terrae, and P. peoriae 2,3-BDO-related genes. Regulatory regions upstream of these genes indicated that they are probably co-regulated. Finally, we propose a production pathway from glucose to 2,3-BDO in P. brasilensis PB24. Although the gene encoding S-2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase (butA) was found in the genome of P. brasilensis PB24, only R,R-2,3- and meso-2,3-butanediol were detected by gas chromatography under the growth conditions tested here. Our findings can serve as a basis for further improvements to the metabolic capabilities of this little-studied Paenibacillus species in relation to production of the high-value chemical 2,3-butanediol.

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September 22, 2019  |  

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Coix lacryma-jobi L.(Poaceae), a cereal and medicinal crop

Coix lacryma-jobi is a cereal and medicinal crop belonging to the Poaceae family. This study characterized complete chloroplast genome sequence of a Korean cultivar Johyun of C. lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen through the de novo hybrid assembly with Illumina and PacBio genomic reads. The chloroplast genome is 140,863?bp long and composed of large single copy (82,827?bp), small single copy (12,522?bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (each 22,757?bp). A total of 123 genes including 87 protein-coding genes, 32 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes were predicted in the genome. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed a close relationship of C. lacryma-jobi with species in the Panicoideae subfamily of the Poaceae family.

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September 22, 2019  |  

Genomic analysis of Picochlorum species reveals how microalgae may adapt to variable environments.

Understanding how microalgae adapt to rapidly changing environments is not only important to science but can help clarify the potential impact of climate change on the biology of primary producers. We sequenced and analyzed the nuclear genome of multiple Picochlorum isolates (Chlorophyta) to elucidate strategies of environmental adaptation. It was previously found that coordinated gene regulation is involved in adaptation to salinity stress, and here we show that gene gain and loss also play key roles in adaptation. We determined the extent of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from prokaryotes and their role in the origin of novel functions in the Picochlorum clade. HGT is an ongoing and dynamic process in this algal clade with adaptation being driven by transfer, divergence, and loss. One HGT candidate that is differentially expressed under salinity stress is indolepyruvate decarboxylase that is involved in the production of a plant auxin that mediates bacteria-diatom symbiotic interactions. Large differences in levels of heterozygosity were found in diploid haplotypes among Picochlorum isolates. Biallelic divergence was pronounced in P. oklahomensis (salt plains environment) when compared with its closely related sister taxon Picochlorum SENEW3 (brackish water environment), suggesting a role of diverged alleles in response to environmental stress. Our results elucidate how microbial eukaryotes with limited gene inventories expand habitat range from mesophilic to halophilic through allelic diversity, and with minor but important contributions made by HGT. We also explore how the nature and quality of genome data may impact inference of nuclear ploidy.

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September 21, 2019  |  

Toward complete bacterial genome sequencing through the combined use of multiple next-generation sequencing platforms.

PacBio’s long-read sequencing technologies can be successfully used for a complete bacterial genome assembly using recently developed non-hybrid assemblers in the absence of secondgeneration, high-quality short reads. However, standardized procedures that take into account multiple pre-existing second-generation sequencing platforms are scarce. In addition to Illumina HiSeq and Ion Torrent PGM-based genome sequencing results derived from previous studies, we generated further sequencing data, including from the PacBio RS II platform, and applied various bioinformatics tools to obtain complete genome assemblies for five bacterial strains. Our approach revealed that the hierarchical genome assembly process (HGAP) non-hybrid assembler resulted in nearly complete assemblies at a moderate coverage of ~75x, but that different versions produced non-compatible results requiring post processing. The other two platforms further improved the PacBio assembly through scaffolding and a final error correction.

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