دورية أكاديمية
The Effect of Outer Space and Other Environmental Cues on Bacterial Conjugation
| العنوان: | The Effect of Outer Space and Other Environmental Cues on Bacterial Conjugation |
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| المؤلفون: | Piscon B., Esposito E. P., Fichtman B., Samburski G., Efremushkin L., Amselem S., Harel A., Rahav G., Zarrilli R., Gal-Mor O. |
| المساهمون: | Piscon, B., Esposito, E. P., Fichtman, B., Samburski, G., Efremushkin, L., Amselem, S., Harel, A., Rahav, G., Zarrilli, R., Gal-Mor, O. |
| سنة النشر: | 2023 |
| المجموعة: | IRIS Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II |
| مصطلحات موضوعية: | conjugation, conjugative pili, environmental cue, Gram-negative bacteria, HGT, microgravity, outer space, plasmid, T4SS, tra genes |
| الوصف: | Bacterial conjugation is one of the most abundant horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mechanisms, playing a fundamental role in prokaryote evolution. A better understanding of bacterial conjugation and its cross talk with the environment is needed for a more complete understanding of HGT mechanisms and to fight the dissemination of malicious genes between bacteria. Here, we studied the effect of outer space, microgravity, and additional key environmental cues on transfer (tra) gene expression and conjugation efficiency, using the under studied broad-host range plasmid pN3, as a model. High resolution scanning electron microscopy revealed the morphology of the pN3 conjugative pili and mating pair formation during conjugation. Using a nanosatellite carrying a miniaturized lab, we studied pN3 conjugation in outer space, and used qRT-PCR, Western blotting and mating assays to determine the effect of ground physicochemical parameters on tra gene expression and conjugation. We showed for the first time that bacterial conjugation can occur in outer space and on the ground, under microgravity-simulated conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrated that microgravity, liquid media, elevated temperature, nutrient depletion, high osmolarity and low oxygen significantly reduce pN3 conjugation. Interestingly, under some of these conditions we observed an inverse correlation between tra gene transcription and conjugation frequency and found that induction of at least traK and traL can negatively affect pN3 conjugation frequency in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, these results uncover pN3 regulation by various environmental cues and highlight the diversity of conjugation systems and the different ways in which they may be regulated in response to abiotic signals. IMPORTANCE Bacterial conjugation is a highly ubiquitous and promiscuous process, by which a donor bacterium transfers a large portion of genetic material to a recipient cell. This mechanism of horizontal gene transfer plays an important role in bacterial evolution and in ... |
| نوع الوثيقة: | article in journal/newspaper |
| اللغة: | English |
| العلاقة: | info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000960683000001; volume:11; issue:3; firstpage:1; lastpage:17; numberofpages:17; journal:MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM; https://hdl.handle.net/11588/950070Test; info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85163790724 |
| DOI: | 10.1128/spectrum.03688-22 |
| الإتاحة: | https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03688-22Test https://hdl.handle.net/11588/950070Test |
| حقوق: | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| رقم الانضمام: | edsbas.A82626EF |
| قاعدة البيانات: | BASE |
| DOI: | 10.1128/spectrum.03688-22 |
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