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Loss and gain of GroEL in the Mollicutes

Gregory W Clark1, Elisabeth R M Tillier

  • 1Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network and Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, 5-354 MaRS TMDT, 101 College St., Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.

Biochemistry and Cell Biology = Biochimie Et Biologie Cellulaire
|May 11, 2010
PubMed

Insights

The bacterial chaperone GroEL, usually essential for life, is absent in some Mollicutes. Its presence in Mycoplasma may facilitate host tissue invasion, acting as an adhesin-invasin.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacterial Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • GroEL is a vital chaperone protein for bacterial survival.
  • Certain Mollicutes species lack the GroEL protein.
  • The evolutionary presence of GroEL in Mollicutes is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the phylogenetic distribution of GroEL within Mollicutes.
  • To explore the potential role of GroEL in host-pathogen interactions.
  • To determine if GroEL functions as an adhesin-invasin in Mycoplasma.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analysis was employed to study GroEL distribution.
  • Comparative genomics was used to identify gene transfer events.
  • Functional roles were inferred based on observed presence and evolutionary history.

Main Results:

  • The presence of GroEL in Mollicutes is polyphyletic, indicating multiple independent acquisitions or losses.
  • Evidence suggests lateral gene transfer of GroEL to Mycoplasma penetrans from Proteobacteria.
  • GroEL presence in Mycoplasma correlates with potential host tissue invasion capabilities.

Conclusions:

  • GroEL is not universally essential for all bacterial life, as demonstrated in some Mollicutes.
  • Lateral gene transfer has played a role in the distribution of GroEL among bacteria.
  • GroEL in Mycoplasma may function as an adhesin-invasin, contributing to pathogenesis.

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