Article
Biology
Jingxuan Li, Chunlan Yang, Alexandre Jousset, Keming Yang, Xiaofang Wang, Zhihui Xu, Tianjie Yang, Xinlan Mei, Zengtao Zhong, Yangchun Xu, Qirong Shen, Ville-Petri Friman, Zhong Wei
Summary: While bacterial diversity is beneficial for rhizosphere microbiomes, multi-species bioinoculants often fail to promote plant growth. This study used transposon insertion mutagenesis to increase functional diversity within Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and found that assembling consortia of phenotypically dissimilar mutants improved plant growth promotion. The results suggest that increasing intra-species phenotypic diversity could be an effective way to enhance probiotic consortium functioning and plant growth in agriculture.
Article
Microbiology
Lakshmi Narayanan, Ozan Ozdemir, Navatha Alugubelly, Reshma Ramachandran, Michelle Banes, Mark Lawrence, Hossam Abdelhamed
Summary: The study used Tn mutagenesis to identify genes and pathways affecting the growth and fitness of Listeria monocytogenes in minimal medium. The findings revealed that biosynthesis of purines, pyrimidines, ATP, and branched-chain fatty acids plays an important role in the pathogenesis of L. monocytogenes.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Judy D. Wall, Grant M. Zane, Thomas R. Juba, Jennifer Kuehl, Jayashree Ray, Swapnil R. Chhabra, Valentine V. Trotter, Maxim Shatsky, Kara B. De Leon, Kimberly L. Keller, Kelly S. Bender, Gareth Butland, Adam P. Arkin, Adam M. Deutschbauer
Summary: ENIGMA chose Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough to explore tools and protocols for bringing this anaerobe to model status, and has generated a collection of genetic constructs available to the research community.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
E. S. Nazareno, B. Acharya, C. K. Dumenyo
Summary: Researchers re-engineered a classic tool for mutagenesis and gene expression studies in Gram-negative bacteria, resulting in a modified Tn5-based transposon with multiple features for rapid mutant selection, direct gene expression quantification, and easy cloning of disrupted genes. The transposon enables positive antibiotic selection and reporter assays based on promoter activity, as well as transposition in recipient strains lacking the pir gene. Furthermore, the modified transposon can be delivered into recipient cells through biparental mating or electroporation for versatile applications.
LETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Matthew R. Moreau, Indira T. Kudva, Robab Katani, Rebecca Cote, Lingling Li, Terrance M. Arthur, Vivek Kapur
Summary: EHEC O157:H7 is a major foodborne pathogen causing a range of symptoms in humans. Research has shown that cattle can be asymptomatically colonized by O157:H7 predominantly at the rectoanal junction, leading to shedding in bovine feces. Supershedding (SS) is a phenomenon where some cattle shed significantly more O157:H7 compared to normal shedders.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Thamarai K. Janganan, Nic Mullin, Ainhoa Dafis-Sagarmendi, Jason Brunt, Svetomir B. Tzokov, Sandra Stringer, Anne Moir, Roy R. Chaudhuri, Robert P. Fagan, Jamie K. Hobbs, Per A. Bullough
Article
Microbiology
Farhan Rasheed, Muhammad Saeed, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, David Baker, Mohsin Khurshid, Emma Ainsworth, A. Keith Turner, Ambereen Anwar Imran, Muhammad Hidayat Rasool, Muhammad Saqalein, Muhammad Atif Nisar, Muhammad Fayyaz Ur Rehman, John Wain, Muhammad Yasir, Gemma C. Langridge, Aamer Ikram
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Thomas Belcher, Iain MacArthur, Jerry D. King, Gemma C. Langridge, Matthew Mayho, Julian Parkhill, Andrew Preston
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rachel Gilroy, Anuradha Ravi, Maria Getino, Isabella Pursley, Daniel L. Horton, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Dave Baker, Karim Gharbi, Neil Hall, Mick Watson, Evelien M. Adriaenssens, Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko, Sheikh Jarju, Arss Secka, Martin Antonio, Aharon Oren, Roy R. Chaudhuri, Roberto La Ragione, Falk Hildebrand, Mark J. Pallen
Summary: This study provides new insights into the taxonomic diversity of the chicken gut microbiome through metagenomic and culture-based analyses. It identified hundreds of novel candidate bacterial genera and species, proposed a scalable nomenclature system, and cultured and sequenced novel bacterial species from chicken feces. The findings expand the known diversity of the chicken gut microbiome and serve as a valuable resource for future studies in this field.
Correction
Biochemical Research Methods
Valentine U. Nlebedim, Roy R. Chaudhuri, Kevin Walters
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Valentine U. Nlebedim, Roy R. Chaudhuri, Kevin Walters
Summary: The study introduces a novel probabilistic Bayesian approach for classifying bacterial essential genes based on Tn5 transposon insertion density. Through analysis of simulated data and three bacterial datasets, the effectiveness of the method is demonstrated with high classification accuracy.
Article
Microbiology
Elizabeth K. Court, Roy R. Chaudhuri, Rahul Kapoore, Raffaella X. Villa, Jagroop Pandhal, Catherine A. Biggs, Graham P. Stafford
Summary: This study focused on isolating highly lipolytic bacteria directly from FOG blockage sites in the UK and selecting the most lipolytic strains for potential use in FOG treatment within wastewater networks. Molecular characterization of microbial communities at these sites showed diversity and evidence related to the isolated strains, providing a proof of concept for targeting Fatberg sites for bioremediation.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Winnie W. Y. Lee, Jennifer Mattock, David R. Greig, Gemma C. Langridge, David Baker, Samuel Bloomfield, Alison E. Mather, John R. Wain, Andrew M. Edwards, Hassan Hartman, Timothy J. Dallman, Marie A. Chattaway, Satheesh Nair
Summary: Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis is the fifth most common Salmonella serovar in England and Wales. Analysis of isolates over a five-year period revealed a significant number with multidrug-resistant determinants on a large plasmid. Travel cases associated with S. enterica Infantis were predominantly from Asia, Europe, and North America. The emergence of a stable resistant clone in the human population of England and Wales highlights the importance of monitoring resistance in this serovar.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Teresa Diaz Calvo, Noemi Tejera, Iain McNamara, Gemma C. Langridge, John Wain, Mark Poolman, Dipali Singh
Summary: In this study, a fully curated, genome-scale metabolic model for S. epidermidis RP62A was constructed and its metabolic properties were investigated. The results showed that the strain preferred amino acids, especially proline, valine, alanine, glutamate, and arginine, for energy and biomass production. Unlike previous studies, this strain did not show significant substrate auxotrophies, although removal of proline from the media had the highest impact on growth characteristics.
Article
Plant Sciences
Suo Qiu, James M. Bradley, Peijun Zhang, Roy Chaudhuri, Mark Blaxter, Roger K. Butlin, Julie D. Scholes
Summary: This study reveals diverse strategies used by Striga hermonthica to overcome different layers of host resistance. Understanding the maintenance of variation at virulence loci by balancing selection is crucial for controlling the evolution of parasite virulence.
Article
Microbiology
Saikou Y. Bah, Alexander J. Keeley, Edwin P. Armitage, Henna Khalid, Roy R. Chaudhuri, Elina Senghore, Jarra Manneh, Lisa Tilley, Michael Marks, Saffiatou Darboe, Abdul K. Sesay, Thushan I. de Silva, Claire E. Turner
Summary: This study provides insight into the genetic diversity and molecular characteristics of Streptococcus pyogenes isolates from The Gambia and the United Kingdom. The Gambian isolates exhibited higher genetic diversity, while the UK isolates had higher prevalence of superantigens and DNases.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Emma V. Waters, Liam A. Tucker, Jana K. Ahmed, John Wain, Gemma C. Langridge
Summary: Bacterial genome structure rearrangements around long repeat sequences can cause changes in gene expression. Multiplexed long-read sequencing enables the identification of genome structure rearrangements, which may provide a mechanism for bacteria to quickly adapt to new environments.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Cailean Carter, Alexandra Hutchison, Steven Rudder, Elizabeth Trotter, Emma Waters, Ngozi Elumogo, Gemma C. Langridge
Summary: This study aimed to identify the clonal groups and resistance genes that are spreading in the community and hospitals in Norfolk. The main causative agent for UTIs in this region is uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), with significant multi-drug resistance observed in ST131 and ST1193 lineages. Monitoring samples and considering sources can help reduce the burden of disease.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mahreen U. Hassan, Roy R. Chaudhuri, Mike P. Williamson
Summary: Bacterial WxL proteins contain peptidoglycan-binding WxL domains that are involved in virulence. The DUF916-DUF3324 tandem domains in gene clusters of WxL proteins play a role in binding and stabilizing WxL on the peptidoglycan surface, as well as binding to host cells. The DUF916 domain interacts with the WxL domain, and the DUF3324 domain interacts with host cells.
Article
Microbiology
Michael Ormsby, Filipa R. Vaz, Joseph A. Kirk, Anna R. Barwinska-Sendra, Jennifer A. Hallam, Paola R. Lanzoni-Mangutchi, John A. Cole, Roy R. Chaudhuri, Paula A. Salgado, Robert R. Fagan, Gillian R. A. Douce
Summary: The S-layer of C. difficile plays an important role in pathogenesis and disease severity. S-layer variants, recovered after infection with the S-layer-null strain FM2.5, were rapidly selected in vivo independent of toxin production. One variant, FM2.5(varB), displayed a less virulent phenotype compared to FM2.5(varA) and caused disease severity similar to R20291.
