Genome Mining Reveals a Sactipeptide Biosynthetic Cluster in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genomics
• Bacterial Pathogenesis

Background:

• *Staphylococcus pseudintermedius* is an opportunistic pathogen with veterinary and zoonotic implications.
• This bacterium possesses diverse biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) potentially influencing its fitness and virulence.
• Understanding these BGCs is crucial for addressing pathogen control and public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comparative genomic analysis of *S. pseudintermedius* isolates.
• To identify and characterize the subtilosin A biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) within *S. pseudintermedius*.
• To investigate the presence, conservation, and potential functionality of the subtilosin A BGC.

Main Methods:

• Comparative genomics using Roary to analyze core and accessory genomes of 6815 *S. pseudintermedius* isolates.
• Bioinformatic analysis with AntiSMASH v8.0.0 and BAGEL4 to identify and characterize BGCs.
• BLAST v2.12.0 for detailed analysis of gene conservation and cluster integrity.

Main Results:

• The subtilosin A gene (*sboA*) was identified in the accessory genome of *S. pseudintermedius* isolates from various sources.
• Subtilosin A BGCs were confirmed, showing homology to *Bacillus subtilis* machinery but with potential incompleteness (missing *albB*, *albG*, *sboX*).
• High conservation of gene content and order was observed in complete clusters, while incomplete clusters were also prevalent.

Conclusions:

• The subtilosin A BGC is present in a subset of *S. pseudintermedius* isolates, with varying degrees of completeness.
• Discrepancies in cluster identification may stem from evolutionary factors or assembly limitations.
• The functional role of this BGC in *S. pseudintermedius*, potentially for inter-species competition, warrants further investigation.