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Codon-usage frequency mediated SNPs selection in lasR gene of cystic fibrosis Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates

Huifang Qiu1, Yuanhao Li1, Weijun Dai1

  • 1Integrative Microbiology Research Center, South China of Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.

Microbiological Research
|June 11, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Mutations in the lasR gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients are influenced by codon usage. These changes create diverse functional proteins, potentially aiding bacterial adaptation and offering targets for new drugs.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a clinically significant opportunistic pathogen.
  • Hospital-acquired infections frequently involve P. aeruginosa.
  • Mutations in the quorum-sensing (QS) lasR gene are common in clinical isolates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze lasR gene mutations in a large collection of cystic fibrosis (CF) P. aeruginosa isolates.
  • To investigate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) selection and codon usage frequency in the lasR gene.
  • To understand the adaptive mechanisms of P. aeruginosa in CF patients.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic analysis of DNA sequencing data from clinical P. aeruginosa isolates.
  • Examination of lasR gene sequences from cystic fibrosis patient isolates.
  • Correlation analysis between SNP-substituted codons and codon-usage frequency.

Main Results:

  • SNP selection in the lasR gene is constrained by codon-usage frequency.
  • Substitutions encoding unconserved amino acids often used less frequent codons.
  • Conserved amino acid substitutions showed less strict regulation by codon usage.
  • SNPs lead to diverse functional LasR protein variants, influencing growth fitness.

Conclusions:

  • A novel pattern of SNPs in the lasR gene of CF isolates was identified.
  • These findings provide insights into bacterial adaptive mechanisms under environmental pressures.
  • The study offers potential targets for developing anti-bacterial drugs for CF patients.
Keywords:
Codon-usage frequencyPseudomonas aeruginosaQuorum-sensing systemSNPslasR genelasR variants

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