Staphylococcal Periscope proteins Aap, SasG, and Pls project noncanonical legume-like lectin adhesin domains from the bacterial surface.

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are frequently associated with medical device infections that involve establishment of a bacterial biofilm on the device surface. Staphylococcal surface proteins Aap, SasG, and Pls are members of the Periscope Protein class and have been implicated in biofilm formation and host colonization; they comprise a repetitive region ("B region") and an N-terminal host colonization domain within the "A region," predicted to be a lectin domain. Repetitive E-G5 domains (as found in Aap, SasG, and Pls) form elongated "stalks" that would vary in length with repeat number, resulting in projection of the N-terminal A domain variable distances from the bacterial cell surface. Here, we present the structures of the lectin domains within A regions of SasG, Aap, and Pls and a structure of the Aap lectin domain attached to contiguous E-G5 repeats, suggesting the lectin domains will sit at the tip of the variable length rod. We demonstrate that these isolated domains (Aap, SasG) are sufficient to bind to human host desquamated nasal epithelial cells. Previously, proteolytic cleavage or a deletion within the A domain had been reported to induce biofilm formation; the structures suggest a potential link between these observations. Intriguingly, while the Aap, SasG, and Pls lectin domains bind a metal ion, they lack the nonproline cis peptide bond thought to be key for carbohydrate binding by the lectin fold. This suggestion of noncanonical ligand binding should be a key consideration when investigating the host cell interactions of these bacterial surface proteins.

Caenorhabditis microbiota: worm guts get populated.

Until recently, almost nothing has been known about the natural microbiota of the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Reporting their research in BMC Biology, Dirksen and colleagues describe the first sequencing effort to characterize the gut microbiota of environmentally isolated C. elegans and the related taxa Caenorhabditis briggsae and Caenorhabditis remanei In contrast to the monoxenic, microbiota-free cultures that are studied in hundreds of laboratories, it appears that natural populations of Caenorhabditis harbor distinct microbiotas.

Leucobacter musarum subsp. musarum sp. nov., subsp. nov., Leucobacter musarum subsp. japonicus subsp. nov., and Leucobacter celer subsp. astrifaciens subsp. nov., three nematopathogenic bacteria isolated from Caenorhabditis, with an emended description of Leucobacter celer.

Three Gram-stain-positive, irregular-rod-shaped, non-motile, non-spore-forming bacteria were isolated from nematodes collected from Santa Antao, Cabo Verde (CBX151T, CBX152T) and Kakegawa, Japan (CBX130T). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strains CBX130T, CBX151T and CBX152T were shown to belong to the genus Leucobacter. This affiliation was supported by chemotaxonomic data (2,4-diaminobutyric acid in the cell wall; major respiratory quinones MK-10 and MK-11; major polar lipids phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol; major fatty acids anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0). Strains CBX130T and CBX152T were found to share salient characteristics. Based on morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and biochemical analysis, strain CBX152T represents a novel species of the genus Leucobacter, for which the name Leucobacter musarum sp. nov. (type strain CBX152T = DSM 27160T = CIP 110721T) is proposed. Two subspecies of Leucobacter musarum sp. nov. are proposed: Leucobacter musarum sp. nov. subsp. musarum subsp. nov. (type strain CBX152T = DSM 27160T = CIP 110721T) and Leucobacter musarum sp. nov. subsp. japonicus subsp. nov. (type strain CBX130T = DSM 27158T = CIP 110719T). The third novel strain, CBX151T, showed genetic similarities with Leucobacter celer NAL101T indicating that these strains belong to the same species. Based on morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and biochemical differences it is proposed to split the species Leucobacter celer into two novel subspecies, Leucobacter celer subsp. celer subsp. nov. (type strain NAL101T = KACC 14220T = JCM 16465T) and Leucobacter celer subsp. astrifaciens subsp. nov. (type strain CBX151T = DSM 27159T = CIP 110720T), and to emend the description of Leucobacter celerShin et al. 2011.

Worm-stars and half-worms: Novel dangers and novel defense.

In a recent paper, we reported the isolation and surprising effects of two new bacterial pathogens for Caenorhabditis and related nematodes. These two pathogens belong to the genus Leucobacter and were discovered co-infecting a wild isolate of Caenorhabditis that had been collected in Cape Verde. The interactions of these bacteria with C. elegans revealed both unusual mechanisms of pathogenic attack, and an unexpected defense mechanism on the part of the worm. One pathogen, known as Verde1, is able to trap swimming nematodes by sticking their tails together, resulting in the formation of "worm-star" aggregates, within which worms are killed and degraded. Trapped larval worms, but not adults, can sometimes escape by undergoing whole-body autotomy into half-worms. The other pathogen, Verde2, kills worms by a different mechanism associated with rectal infection. Many C. elegans mutants with alterations in surface glycosylation are resistant to Verde2 infection, but hypersensitive to Verde1, being rapidly killed without worm-star formation. Conversely, surface infection of wild-type worms with Verde1 is mildly protective against Verde2. Thus, there are trade-offs in susceptibility to the two bacteria. The Leucobacter pathogens reveal novel nematode biology and provide powerful tools for exploring nematode surface properties and bacterial susceptibility.

Commensals, probiotics and pathogens in the Caenorhabditis elegans model.

Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful model host for a wide variety of microorganisms that have implications for human health. Recent surveys of mammalian and metazoan microbiota demonstrate the often profound effects of gut commensal bacteria on host lifespan, health and development. Work using C. elegans has revealed the surprising extent to which bacterial metabolism can interact with host pathways with examples from Escherichia coli folate metabolism and Bacillus subtilis nitric oxide synthesis. The C. elegans model has also shed light on the mechanisms by which probiotic bacteria influence lifespan.

Two Leucobacter strains exert complementary virulence on Caenorhabditis including death by worm-star formation.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been much studied as a host for microbial infection. Some pathogens can infect its intestine, while others attack via its external surface. Cultures of Caenorhabditis isolated from natural environments have yielded new nematode pathogens, such as microsporidia and viruses. We report here a novel mechanism for bacterial attack on worms, discovered during investigation of a diseased and coinfected natural isolate of Caenorhabditis from Cape Verde. Two related coryneform pathogens (genus Leucobacter) were obtained from this isolate, which had complementary effects on C. elegans and related nematodes. One pathogen, Verde1, was able to cause swimming worms to stick together irreversibly by their tails, leading to the rapid formation of aggregated "worm-stars." Adult worms trapped in these aggregates were immobilized and subsequently died, with concomitant growth of bacteria. Trapped larval worms were sometimes able to escape from worm-stars by undergoing autotomy, separating their bodies into two parts. The other pathogen, Verde2, killed worms after rectal invasion, in a more virulent version of a previously studied infection. Resistance to killing by Verde2, by means of alterations in host surface glycosylation, resulted in hypersensitivity to Verde1, revealing a trade-off in bacterial susceptibility. Conversely, a sublethal surface infection of worms with Verde1 conferred partial protection against Verde2. The formation of worm-stars by Verde1 occurred only when worms were swimming in liquid but provides a striking example of asymmetric warfare as well as a bacterial equivalent to the trapping strategies used by nematophagous fungi.

Mammalian cell entry genes in Streptomyces may provide clues to the evolution of bacterial virulence.

Understanding the evolution of virulence is key to appreciating the role specific loci play in pathogenicity. Streptomyces species are generally non-pathogenic soil saprophytes, yet within their genome we can find homologues of virulence loci. One example of this is the mammalian cell entry (mce) locus, which has been characterised in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. To investigate the role in Streptomyces we deleted the mce locus and studied its impact on cell survival, morphology and interaction with other soil organisms. Disruption of the mce cluster resulted in virulence towards amoebae (Acanthamoeba polyphaga) and reduced colonization of plant (Arabidopsis) models, indicating these genes may play an important role in Streptomyces survival in the environment. Our data suggest that loss of mce in Streptomyces spp. may have profound effects on survival in a competitive soil environment, and provides insight in to the evolution and selection of these genes as virulence factors in related pathogenic organisms.

Duplication and evolution of devA-like genes in Streptomyces has resulted in distinct developmental roles.

Understanding morphological transformations is essential to elucidating the evolution and developmental biology of many organisms. The Gram-positive soil bacterium, Streptomyces coelicolor has a complex lifecycle which lends itself well to such studies. We recently identified a transcriptional regulator, devA, which is required for correct sporulation in this organism, with mutants forming short, mis-septate aerial hyphae. devA is highly conserved within the Streptomyces genus along with a duplicate copy, devE. Disruption of devE indicates this gene also plays a role in sporulation; however the phenotype of a devE mutant differs from a devA mutant, forming long un-septate aerial hyphae. Transcriptional analysis of devA and devE indicates that they are expressed at different stages of the lifecycle. This suggests that following duplication they have diverged in regulation and function. Analysis of fully sequenced actinomycete genomes shows that devA is found in a single copy in morphologically simpler actinobacteria, suggesting that duplication has lead to increased morphological complexity. Complementation studies with devA from Salinispora, which sporulates but does not form aerial hyphae, indicates the ancestral gene cannot complement devA or devE, suggesting neo-functionalisation has occurred. Analysis of the synonymous and non-synonymous nucleotide changes within the devA paralogues suggest subfunctionalisation has occurred as both copies have diverged from the ancestral sequences. Divergence is also asymmetric with a higher level of functional constraint observed in the DNA binding domain compared with the effector binding/oligomerisation domain, suggesting diversification in the substrate specificity of these paralogues has contributed to their evolution.