Background: Mycobacteroides abscessus complex (MABC), an emerging pathogen, causes human infections resistant to multiple antibiotics. In this study, the genome data of 1,581 MABC strains were downloaded from NCBI database for phylogenetic relatedness inference, resistance profile identification and the estimation of evolutionary pressure on resistance genes in silico.
Results: From genes associated with resistance to 28 antibiotic classes, 395 putative proteins (ARPs) were identified, based on the information in two antibiotic resistance databases (CARD and ARG-ANNOT). The ARPs most frequently identified in MABC were those associated with resistance to multiple antibiotic classes, beta-lactams and aminoglycosides. After excluding ARPs that had undergone recombination, two ARPs were predicted to be under diversifying selection and 202 under purifying selection. This wide occurrence of purifying selection suggested that the diversity of commonly shared ARPs in MABC have been reduced to achieve stability. The unequal distribution of ARPs in members of the MABC could be due to horizontal gene transfer or ARPs pseudogenization events. Most (81.5%) of the ARPs were observed in the accessory genome and 72.2% ARPs were highly homologous to proteins associated with mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, prophages and viruses. On the other hand, with TBLASTN search, only 18 of the ARPs were identified as pseudogenes.
Conclusion: Altogether, our results suggested an important role of horizontal gene transfer in shaping the resistome of MABC.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9583574 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12864-022-08941-7 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China.
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from bacteria to insects is widely reported and often associated with the adaptation and diversification of insects. However, compelling evidence demonstrating how HGT-conferred metabolic adjustments enable species to adapt to surrounding environment remains scarce. Dietary specialization is an important ecological strategy adopted by animals to reduce inter- and intraspecific competition for limited resources.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Environ Microbiol
January 2025
Legume Rhizobium Sciences, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia.
Unlabelled: Rhizobia are soil bacteria capable of establishing symbiosis within legume root nodules, where they reduce atmospheric N into ammonia and supply it to the plant for growth. Australian soils often lack rhizobia compatible with introduced agricultural legumes, so inoculation with exotic strains has become a common practice for over 50 years. While extensive research has assessed the N-fixing capabilities of these inoculants, their genomics, taxonomy, and core and accessory gene phylogeny are poorly characterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing problem worldwide, and new treatment options for bacterial infections are direly needed. Engineered probiotics show strong potential in treating or preventing bacterial infections. However, one concern with the use of live bacteria is the risk of the bacteria acquiring genes encoding for AMR or virulence factors through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), and the transformation of the probiotic into a superbug.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, USA.
Horizontal transfer of genetic material in eukaryotes has rarely been documented over short evolutionary timescales. Here, we show that two retrotransposons, Shellder and Spoink, invaded the genomes of multiple species of the melanogaster subgroup within the last 50 years. Through horizontal transfer, Spoink spread in D.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFEMS Microbiol Lett
January 2025
Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, USA.
Commensal Neisseria are members of a healthy human oropharyngeal microbiome; however, they also serve as a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance for their pathogenic relatives. Despite their known importance as sources of novel genetic variation for pathogens, we still do not understand the full suite of resistance mutations commensal species can harbor. Here, we use in vitro selection to assess the mutations that emerge in response to ciprofloxacin selection in commensal Neisseria by passaging 4 replicates of 4 different species in the presence of a selective antibiotic gradient for 20 days; then categorized derived mutations with whole genome sequencing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!