Complete genome sequence of Bradyrhizobium sp. 62B, a native nitrogen-fixing rhizobium isolated from peanut nodules.

We present the complete genome sequence of Bradyrhizobium sp. 62B, a strain isolated from the root nodules of peanut plants that grow in central Argentina. The genome consists of 8.15 Mbp, distributed into a chromosome of 7.29 Mbp and a plasmid of 0.86 Mbp.

Genome sequence of Mesorhizobium mediterraneum strain R31, a nitrogen-fixing rhizobium used as an inoculant for chickpea in Argentina.

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of Mesorhizobium mediterraneum R31, a rhizobial strain recommended and used as a commercial inoculant for chickpea in Argentina. The genome consists of 7.25 Mb, distributed into four circular replicons: a chromosome of 6.72 Mbp and three plasmids of 0.29, 0.17, and 0.07 Mbp.

Whole-Genome Sequence of Burkholderia ambifaria Strain Q53, a Potential Plant Growth Promoter Isolated from the Rhizosphere of Peanut.

We report the complete genome sequence of Burkholderia ambifaria strain Q53, an environmental rhizobacterium isolated from the rhizosphere of peanut plants. The genome consists of 7.4 Mbp distributed into three circular chromosomes and was determined using a hybrid long- and short-read assembly approach.

Chromosomal Position of Ribosomal Protein Genes Affects Long-Term Evolution of Vibrio cholerae.

It is unclear how gene order within the chromosome influences genome evolution. Bacteria cluster transcription and translation genes close to the replication origin (oriC). In Vibrio cholerae, relocation of s10-spc-α locus (S10), the major locus of ribosomal protein genes, to ectopic genomic positions shows that its relative distance to the oriC correlates to a reduction in growth rate, fitness, and infectivity. To test the long-term impact of this trait, we evolved 12 populations of V. cholerae strains bearing S10 at an oriC-proximal or an oriC-distal location for 1,000 generations. During the first 250 generations, positive selection was the main force driving mutation. After 1,000 generations, we observed more nonadaptative mutations and hypermutator genotypes. Populations fixed inactivating mutations at many genes linked to virulence: flagellum, chemotaxis, biofilm, and quorum sensing. Throughout the experiment, all populations increased their growth rates. However, those bearing S10 close to oriC remained the fittest, indicating that suppressor mutations cannot compensate for the genomic position of the main ribosomal protein locus. Selection and sequencing of the fastest-growing clones allowed us to characterize mutations inactivating, among other sites, flagellum master regulators. Reintroduction of these mutations into the wild-type context led to a ≈10% growth improvement. In conclusion, the genomic location of ribosomal protein genes conditions the evolutionary trajectory of V. cholerae. While genomic content is highly plastic in prokaryotes, gene order is an underestimated factor that conditions cellular physiology and evolution. A lack of suppression enables artificial gene relocation as a tool for genetic circuit reprogramming. IMPORTANCE The bacterial chromosome harbors several entangled processes such as replication, transcription, DNA repair, and segregation. Replication begins bidirectionally at the replication origin (oriC) until the terminal region (ter) organizing the genome along the ori-ter axis gene order along this axis could link genome structure to cell physiology. Fast-growing bacteria cluster translation genes near oriC. In Vibrio cholerae, moving them away was feasible but at the cost of losing fitness and infectivity. Here, we evolved strains harboring ribosomal genes close or far from oriC. Growth rate differences persisted after 1,000 generations. No mutation was able to compensate for the growth defect, showing that ribosomal gene location conditions their evolutionary trajectory. Despite the high plasticity of bacterial genomes, evolution has sculpted gene order to optimize the ecological strategy of the microorganism. We observed growth rate improvement throughout the evolution experiment that occurred at expense of energetically costly processes such the flagellum biosynthesis and virulence-related functions. From the biotechnological point of view, manipulation of gene order enables altering bacterial growth with no escape events.

Complete Genome Sequence of Mesorhizobium ciceri Strain R30, a Rhizobium Used as a Commercial Inoculant for Chickpea in Argentina.

We report the complete genome sequence of Mesorhizobium ciceri strain R30, a rhizobium strain recommended and used as a commercial inoculant for chickpea in Argentina. The genome consists of almost 7 Mb, distributed into two circular replicons: a chromosome of 6.49 Mb and a plasmid of 0.46 Mb.

Complete Genome Sequence of Bradyrhizobium sp. Strain C-145, a Nitrogen-Fixing Rhizobacterium Used as a Peanut Inoculant in Argentina.

We present the complete genome sequence of Bradyrhizobium sp. strain C-145, one of the most widely used nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria for inoculating peanut crops in Argentina. The genome consists of 9.53 Mbp in a single circular chromosome and was determined using a hybrid long- and short-read assembly approach.

RNA Sequencing Reveals Widespread Transcription of Natural Antisense RNAs in Entamoeba Species.

Entamoeba is a genus of Amoebozoa that includes the intestine-colonizing pathogenic species Entamoeba histolytica. To understand the basis of gene regulation in E. histolytica from an evolutionary perspective, we have profiled the transcriptomes of its closely related species E. dispar, E. moshkovskii and E. invadens. Genome-wide identification of transcription start sites (TSS) and polyadenylation sites (PAS) revealed the similarities and differences of their gene regulatory sequences. In particular, we found the widespread initiation of antisense transcription from within the gene coding sequences is a common feature among all Entamoeba species. Interestingly, we observed the enrichment of antisense transcription in genes involved in several processes that are common to species infecting the human intestine, e.g., the metabolism of phospholipids. These results suggest a potentially conserved and compact gene regulatory system in Entamoeba.

Genomic determinants for initiation and length of natural antisense transcripts in Entamoeba histolytica.

Natural antisense transcripts (NAT) have been reported in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. While the functions of most reported NATs remain unknown, their potentials in regulating the transcription of their counterparts have been speculated. Entamoeba histolytica, which is a unicellular eukaryotic parasite, has a compact protein-coding genome with very short intronic and intergenic regions. The regulatory mechanisms of gene expression in this compact genome are under-described. In this study, by genome-wide mapping of RNA-Seq data in the genome of E. histolytica, we show that a substantial fraction of its protein-coding genes (28%) has significant transcription on their opposite strand (i.e. NAT). Intriguingly, we found the location of transcription start sites or polyadenylation sites of NAT are determined by the specific motifs encoded on the opposite strand of the gene coding sequences, thereby providing a compact regulatory system for gene transcription. Moreover, we demonstrated that NATs are globally up-regulated under various environmental conditions including temperature stress and pathogenicity. While NATs do not appear to be consequences of spurious transcription, they may play a role in regulating gene expression in E. histolytica, a hypothesis which needs to be tested.

Phenanthrolinic analogs of quinolones show antibacterial activity against M. tuberculosis.

Several phenanthrolinic analogs of quinolones have been synthesized and their antibacterial activity tested against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, other mycobacterial species and bacteria from other genera. Some of them show high activity (of the range observed for rifampicin) against M. tuberculosis replicating in vitro and in vivo (infected macrophages) conditions. These derivatives show the same activity with all or several M. tuberculosis complex bacterial mutants resistant to fluoroquinolones (FQ). This opens the way to the construction of new drugs for the treatment of FQ resistant bacterial infections, including tuberculosis. Several compounds showed also activity against Staphylococcus aureus and probably other species. These compounds do not show major toxicity. We conclude that the novel phenanthrolinic derivatives described here are potent hits for further developments of new antibiotics against bacterial infectious diseases including tuberculosis in particular those resistant to FQ.

The molecular logic of Nanog-induced self-renewal in mouse embryonic stem cells.

Transcription factor networks, together with histone modifications and signalling pathways, underlie the establishment and maintenance of gene regulatory architectures associated with the molecular identity of each cell type. However, how master transcription factors individually impact the epigenomic landscape and orchestrate the behaviour of regulatory networks under different environmental constraints is only partially understood. Here, we show that the transcription factor Nanog deploys multiple distinct mechanisms to enhance embryonic stem cell self-renewal. In the presence of LIF, which fosters self-renewal, Nanog rewires the pluripotency network by promoting chromatin accessibility and binding of other pluripotency factors to thousands of enhancers. In the absence of LIF, Nanog blocks differentiation by sustaining H3K27me3, a repressive histone mark, at developmental regulators. Among those, we show that the repression of Otx2 plays a preponderant role. Our results underscore the versatility of master transcription factors, such as Nanog, to globally influence gene regulation during developmental processes.

Ancestral Genome Estimation Reveals the History of Ecological Diversification in Agrobacterium.

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is considered as a major source of innovation in bacteria, and as such is expected to drive adaptation to new ecological niches. However, among the many genes acquired through HGT along the diversification history of genomes, only a fraction may have actively contributed to sustained ecological adaptation. We used a phylogenetic approach accounting for the transfer of genes (or groups of genes) to estimate the history of genomes in Agrobacterium biovar 1, a diverse group of soil and plant-dwelling bacterial species. We identified clade-specific blocks of cotransferred genes encoding coherent biochemical pathways that may have contributed to the evolutionary success of key Agrobacterium clades. This pattern of gene coevolution rejects a neutral model of transfer, in which neighboring genes would be transferred independently of their function and rather suggests purifying selection on collectively coded acquired pathways. The acquisition of these synapomorphic blocks of cofunctioning genes probably drove the ecological diversification of Agrobacterium and defined features of ancestral ecological niches, which consistently hint at a strong selective role of host plant rhizospheres.

Psychrobacter pasteurii and Psychrobacter piechaudii sp. nov., two novel species within the genus Psychrobacter.

Six Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming, non-pigmented, oxidase- and catalase-positive bacterial strains were deposited in 1972, in the Collection of the Institut Pasteur (CIP), Paris, France. The strains, previously identified as members of the genus Moraxella on the basis of their phenotypic and biochemical characteristics, were placed within the genus Psychrobacter based on the results from comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence studies. Their closest phylogenetic relatives were Psychrobacter sanguinis CIP 110993T, Psychrobacter phenylpyruvicus CIP 82.27T and Psychrobacter lutiphocae CIP 110018T. The DNA G+C contents were between 42.1 and 42.7 mol%. The predominant fatty acids were C18 : 1ω9c, C16 : 0, C12 : 0 3-OH, and C18 : 0. Average nucleotide identity between the six strains and their closest phylogenetic relatives, as well as their phenotypic characteristics, supported the assignment of these strains to two novel species within the genus Psychrobacter. The proposed names for these strains are Psychrobacter pasteurii sp. nov., for which the type strain is A1019T (=CIP 110853T=CECT 9184T), and Psychrobacter piechaudii sp. nov., for which the type strain is 1232T (=CIP110854T=CECT 9185T).

DNA minicircles clarify the specific role of DNA structure on retroviral integration.

Chromatin regulates the selectivity of retroviral integration into the genome of infected cells. At the nucleosome level, both histones and DNA structure are involved in this regulation. We propose a strategy that allows to specifically study a single factor: the DNA distortion induced by the nucleosome. This strategy relies on mimicking this distortion using DNA minicircles (MCs) having a fixed rotational orientation of DNA curvature, coupled with atomic-resolution modeling. Contrasting MCs with linear DNA fragments having identical sequences enabled us to analyze the impact of DNA distortion on the efficiency and selectivity of integration. We observed a global enhancement of HIV-1 integration in MCs and an enrichment of integration sites in the outward-facing DNA major grooves. Both of these changes are favored by LEDGF/p75, revealing a new, histone-independent role of this integration cofactor. PFV integration is also enhanced in MCs, but is not associated with a periodic redistribution of integration sites, thus highlighting its distinct catalytic properties. MCs help to separate the roles of target DNA structure, histone modifications and integrase (IN) cofactors during retroviral integration and to reveal IN-specific regulation mechanisms.

Genome-wide transcriptional responses of two metal-tolerant symbiotic Mesorhizobium isolates to zinc and cadmium exposure.

BACKGROUND: Mesorhizobium metallidurans STM 2683T and Mesorhizobium sp. strain STM 4661 were isolated from nodules of the metallicolous legume Anthyllis vulneraria from distant mining spoils. They tolerate unusually high Zinc and Cadmium concentrations as compared to other mesorhizobia. This work aims to study the gene expression profiles associated with Zinc or Cadmium exposure and to identify genes involved in metal tolerance in these two metallicolous Mesorhizobium strains of interest for mine phytostabilization purposes. RESULTS: The draft genomes of the two Mezorhizobium strains were sequenced and used to map RNAseq data obtained after Zinc or Cadmium stresses. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics allowed the rapid discovery of metal-specific or/and strain-specific genes. Respectively 1.05% (72/6,844) and 0.97% (68/6,994) predicted Coding DNA Sequences (CDS) for STM 2683 and STM 4661 were significantly differentially expressed upon metal exposure. Among these, a significant number of CDS involved in transport (13/72 and 13/68 for STM 2683 and STM 4661, respectively) and sequestration (15/72 and 16/68 for STM 2683 and STM 4661, respectively) were identified. Thirteen CDS presented homologs in both strains and were differentially regulated by Zinc and/or Cadmium. For instance, several PIB-type ATPases and genes likely to participate in metal sequestration were identified. Among the conserved CDS that showed differential regulation in the two isolates, we also found znuABC homologs encoding for a high affinity ABC-type Zinc import system probably involved in Zinc homeostasis. Additionally, global analyses suggested that both metals also repressed significantly the translational machinery. CONCLUSIONS: The comparative RNAseq-based approach revealed a relatively low number of genes significantly regulated in the two Mesorhizobium strains. Very few of them were involved in the non-specific metal response, indicating that the approach was well suited for identifying genes that specifically respond to Zinc and Cadmium. Among significantly up-regulated genes, several encode metal efflux and sequestration systems which can be considered as the most widely represented mechanisms of rhizobial metal tolerance. Downstream functional studies will increase successful phytostabilization strategies by selecting appropriate metallicolous rhizobial partners.

Draft Genome Sequence of Rhizobium mesoamericanum STM3625, a Nitrogen-Fixing Symbiont of Mimosa pudica Isolated in French Guiana (South America).

Rhizobium mesoamericanum STM3625 is a Mimosa pudica symbiont isolated in French Guiana. This strain serves as a model bacterium for comparison of adaptation to mutualism (symbiotic traits, bacterial genetic programs for plant infection) between alpha and beta rhizobial symbionts of Mimosa pudica.

An updated metabolic view of the Bacillus subtilis 168 genome.

Continuous updating of the genome sequence of Bacillus subtilis, the model of the Firmicutes, is a basic requirement needed by the biology community. In this work new genomic objects have been included (toxin/antitoxin genes and small RNA genes) and the metabolic network has been entirely updated. The curated view of the validated metabolic pathways present in the organism as of 2012 shows several significant differences from pathways present in the other bacterial reference, Escherichia coli: variants in synthesis of cofactors (thiamine, biotin, bacillithiol), amino acids (lysine, methionine), branched-chain fatty acids, tRNA modification and RNA degradation. In this new version, gene products that are enzymes or transporters are explicitly linked to the biochemical reactions of the RHEA reaction resource (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/rhea/), while novel compound entries have been created in the database Chemical Entities of Biological Interest (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/chebi/). The newly annotated sequence is deposited at the International Nucleotide Sequence Data Collaboration with accession number AL009126.4.

MicroScope--an integrated microbial resource for the curation and comparative analysis of genomic and metabolic data.

MicroScope is an integrated platform dedicated to both the methodical updating of microbial genome annotation and to comparative analysis. The resource provides data from completed and ongoing genome projects (automatic and expert annotations), together with data sources from post-genomic experiments (i.e. transcriptomics, mutant collections) allowing users to perfect and improve the understanding of gene functions. MicroScope (http://www.genoscope.cns.fr/agc/microscope) combines tools and graphical interfaces to analyse genomes and to perform the manual curation of gene annotations in a comparative context. Since its first publication in January 2006, the system (previously named MaGe for Magnifying Genomes) has been continuously extended both in terms of data content and analysis tools. The last update of MicroScope was published in 2009 in the Database journal. Today, the resource contains data for >1600 microbial genomes, of which ∼300 are manually curated and maintained by biologists (1200 personal accounts today). Expert annotations are continuously gathered in the MicroScope database (∼50 000 a year), contributing to the improvement of the quality of microbial genomes annotations. Improved data browsing and searching tools have been added, original tools useful in the context of expert annotation have been developed and integrated and the website has been significantly redesigned to be more user-friendly. Furthermore, in the context of the European project Microme (Framework Program 7 Collaborative Project), MicroScope is becoming a resource providing for the curation and analysis of both genomic and metabolic data. An increasing number of projects are related to the study of environmental bacterial (meta)genomes that are able to metabolize a large variety of chemical compounds that may be of high industrial interest.

Metabolic diversity among main microorganisms inside an arsenic-rich ecosystem revealed by meta- and proteo-genomics.

By their metabolic activities, microorganisms have a crucial role in the biogeochemical cycles of elements. The complete understanding of these processes requires, however, the deciphering of both the structure and the function, including synecologic interactions, of microbial communities. Using a metagenomic approach, we demonstrated here that an acid mine drainage highly contaminated with arsenic is dominated by seven bacterial strains whose genomes were reconstructed. Five of them represent yet uncultivated bacteria and include two strains belonging to a novel bacterial phylum present in some similar ecosystems, and which was named 'Candidatus Fodinabacter communificans.' Metaproteomic data unravelled several microbial capabilities expressed in situ, such as iron, sulfur and arsenic oxidation that are key mechanisms in biomineralization, or organic nutrient, amino acid and vitamin metabolism involved in synthrophic associations. A statistical analysis of genomic and proteomic data and reverse transcriptase-PCR experiments allowed us to build an integrated model of the metabolic interactions that may be of prime importance in the natural attenuation of such anthropized ecosystems.

Core and panmetabolism in Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli exhibits a wide range of lifestyles encompassing commensalism and various pathogenic behaviors which its highly dynamic genome contributes to develop. How environmental and host factors shape the genetic structure of E. coli strains remains, however, largely unknown. Following a previous study of E. coli genomic diversity, we investigated its diversity at the metabolic level by building and analyzing the genome-scale metabolic networks of 29 E. coli strains (8 commensal and 21 pathogenic strains, including 6 Shigella strains). Using a tailor-made reconstruction strategy, we significantly improved the completeness and accuracy of the metabolic networks over default automatic reconstruction processes. Among the 1,545 reactions forming E. coli panmetabolism, 885 reactions were common to all strains. This high proportion of core reactions (57%) was found to be in sharp contrast to the low proportion (13%) of core genes in the E. coli pangenome, suggesting less diversity of metabolic functions compared to that of all gene functions. Core reactions were significantly overrepresented among biosynthetic reactions compared to the more variable degradation processes. Differences between metabolic networks were found to follow E. coli phylogeny rather than pathogenic phenotypes, except for Shigella networks, which were significantly more distant from the others. This suggests that most metabolic changes in non-Shigella strains were not driven by their pathogenic phenotypes. Using a supervised method, we were yet able to identify small sets of reactions related to pathogenicity or commensalism. The quality of our reconstructed networks also makes them reliable bases for building metabolic models.

Comparative genomics of aeschynomene symbionts: insights into the ecological lifestyle of nod-independent photosynthetic bradyrhizobia.

Tropical aquatic species of the legume genus Aeschynomene are stem- and root-nodulated by bradyrhizobia strains that exhibit atypical features such as photosynthetic capacities or the use of a nod gene-dependent (ND) or a nod gene-independent (NI) pathway to enter into symbiosis with legumes. In this study we used a comparative genomics approach on nine Aeschynomene symbionts representative of their phylogenetic diversity. We produced draft genomes of bradyrhizobial strains representing different phenotypes: five NI photosynthetic strains (STM3809, ORS375, STM3847, STM4509 and STM4523) in addition to the previously sequenced ORS278 and BTAi1 genomes, one photosynthetic strain ORS285 hosting both ND and NI symbiotic systems, and one NI non-photosynthetic strain (STM3843). Comparative genomics allowed us to infer the core, pan and dispensable genomes of Aeschynomene bradyrhizobia, and to detect specific genes and their location in Genomic Islands (GI). Specific gene sets linked to photosynthetic and NI/ND abilities were identified, and are currently being studied in functional analyses.