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A Fast and Reliable Pipeline for Bacterial Transcriptome Analysis Case study: Serine-dependent Gene Regulation in Streptococcus pneumoniae
Published on: April 25, 2015
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Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae encodes multiple phase-variable DNA methyltransferases that control distinct
Nusrat Nahar1, Greg Tram1, Freda E-C Jen1
1Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland 4222, Australia.
Nucleic Acids Research
|February 25, 2023
Summary
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae utilizes phasevarions, regulated by DNA methyltransferases, to cause swine respiratory disease. Understanding these phase-variable regulons aids in developing effective vaccines against this pathogen.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacteriology
- Genetics
Background:
- Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae causes significant economic losses in the swine industry due to porcine pleuropneumonia.
- Phasevarions, regulated by DNA methyltransferases, are key virulence factors in many bacterial pathogens.
- Understanding epigenetic regulation in A. pleuropneumoniae is crucial for disease control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and function of phasevarions in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.
- To characterize the DNA methyltransferases involved in phase variation within this species.
- To explore the potential of phasevarion research for developing novel vaccines.
Main Methods:
- Genomic analysis of diverse A. pleuropneumoniae strains.
- Pacific Biosciences Single-Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT) sequencing.
- Oxford Nanopore sequencing to identify and characterize DNA methyltransferases.
Main Results:
- Identified Type I and Type III DNA methyltransferases exhibiting hallmarks of phase variation in A. pleuropneumoniae.
- Demonstrated phase variation in these methyltransferases, with associations between Type III alleles and serovar.
- Characterized the first phase-variable, cytosine-specific Type III DNA methyltransferase in this species.
- Showed that phase variation regulates distinct phasevarions, leading to phenotypic differences relevant to pathobiology.
Conclusions:
- Phase variation of DNA methyltransferases in A. pleuropneumoniae leads to the regulation of distinct phasevarions and impacts pathobiology.
- This research provides insights into the epigenetic mechanisms driving A. pleuropneumoniae virulence.
- Characterization of these phasevarions can inform the development of rationally designed subunit vaccines against porcine pleuropneumonia.
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