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Active Human and Porcine Serum Induce Competence for Genetic Transformation in the Emerging Zoonotic Pathogen Streptococcus suis

The acquisition of novel genetic traits through natural competence is a strategy used by bacteria in microbe-rich environments where microbial competition, antibiotics, and host immune defenses threaten their survival. Here, we show that virulent strains of Streptococcus suis, an important zoonotic...

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Autores principales: Ferrando, Maria Laura, Gussak, Alex, Mentink, Saskia, Gutierrez, Marcela Fernandez, van Baarlen, Peter, Wells, Jerry Mark
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7913127/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33546136
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10020156
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author Ferrando, Maria Laura
Gussak, Alex
Mentink, Saskia
Gutierrez, Marcela Fernandez
van Baarlen, Peter
Wells, Jerry Mark
author_facet Ferrando, Maria Laura
Gussak, Alex
Mentink, Saskia
Gutierrez, Marcela Fernandez
van Baarlen, Peter
Wells, Jerry Mark
author_sort Ferrando, Maria Laura
collection PubMed
description The acquisition of novel genetic traits through natural competence is a strategy used by bacteria in microbe-rich environments where microbial competition, antibiotics, and host immune defenses threaten their survival. Here, we show that virulent strains of Streptococcus suis, an important zoonotic agent and porcine pathogen, become competent for genetic transformation with plasmid or linear DNA when cultured in active porcine and human serum. Competence was not induced in active fetal bovine serum, which contains less complement factors and immunoglobulins than adult serum and was strongly reduced in heat-treated or low-molecular weight fractions of active porcine serum. Late competence genes, encoding the uptake machinery for environmental DNA, were upregulated in the active serum. Competence development was independent of the early competence regulatory switch involving XIP and ComR, as well as sigma factor ComX, suggesting the presence of an alternative stress-induced pathway for regulation of the late competence genes required for DNA uptake.
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spelling pubmed-79131272021-02-28 Active Human and Porcine Serum Induce Competence for Genetic Transformation in the Emerging Zoonotic Pathogen Streptococcus suis Ferrando, Maria Laura Gussak, Alex Mentink, Saskia Gutierrez, Marcela Fernandez van Baarlen, Peter Wells, Jerry Mark Pathogens Communication The acquisition of novel genetic traits through natural competence is a strategy used by bacteria in microbe-rich environments where microbial competition, antibiotics, and host immune defenses threaten their survival. Here, we show that virulent strains of Streptococcus suis, an important zoonotic agent and porcine pathogen, become competent for genetic transformation with plasmid or linear DNA when cultured in active porcine and human serum. Competence was not induced in active fetal bovine serum, which contains less complement factors and immunoglobulins than adult serum and was strongly reduced in heat-treated or low-molecular weight fractions of active porcine serum. Late competence genes, encoding the uptake machinery for environmental DNA, were upregulated in the active serum. Competence development was independent of the early competence regulatory switch involving XIP and ComR, as well as sigma factor ComX, suggesting the presence of an alternative stress-induced pathway for regulation of the late competence genes required for DNA uptake. MDPI 2021-02-03 /pmc/articles/PMC7913127/ /pubmed/33546136 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10020156 Text en © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Communication
Ferrando, Maria Laura
Gussak, Alex
Mentink, Saskia
Gutierrez, Marcela Fernandez
van Baarlen, Peter
Wells, Jerry Mark
Active Human and Porcine Serum Induce Competence for Genetic Transformation in the Emerging Zoonotic Pathogen Streptococcus suis
title Active Human and Porcine Serum Induce Competence for Genetic Transformation in the Emerging Zoonotic Pathogen Streptococcus suis
title_full Active Human and Porcine Serum Induce Competence for Genetic Transformation in the Emerging Zoonotic Pathogen Streptococcus suis
title_fullStr Active Human and Porcine Serum Induce Competence for Genetic Transformation in the Emerging Zoonotic Pathogen Streptococcus suis
title_full_unstemmed Active Human and Porcine Serum Induce Competence for Genetic Transformation in the Emerging Zoonotic Pathogen Streptococcus suis
title_short Active Human and Porcine Serum Induce Competence for Genetic Transformation in the Emerging Zoonotic Pathogen Streptococcus suis
title_sort active human and porcine serum induce competence for genetic transformation in the emerging zoonotic pathogen streptococcus suis
topic Communication
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7913127/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33546136
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10020156
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