FIGL1 prevents aberrant chromosome associations and fragmentation and limits crossovers in polyploid wheat meiosis.

Meiotic crossovers (COs) generate genetic diversity and are crucial for viable gamete production. Plant COs are typically limited to 1-3 per chromosome pair, constraining the development of improved varieties, which in wheat is exacerbated by an extreme distal localisation bias. Advances in wheat genomics and related technologies provide new opportunities to investigate, and possibly modify, recombination in this important crop species. Here, we investigate the disruption of FIGL1 in tetraploid and hexaploid wheat as a potential strategy for modifying CO frequency/position. We analysed figl1 mutants and virus-induced gene silencing lines cytogenetically. Genetic mapping was performed in the hexaploid. FIGL1 prevents abnormal meiotic chromosome associations/fragmentation in both ploidies. It suppresses class II COs in the tetraploid such that CO/chiasma frequency increased 2.1-fold in a figl1 msh5 quadruple mutant compared with a msh5 double mutant. It does not appear to affect class I COs based on HEI10 foci counts in a hexaploid figl1 triple mutant. Genetic mapping in the triple mutant suggested no significant overall increase in total recombination across examined intervals but revealed large increases in specific individual intervals. Notably, the tetraploid figl1 double mutant was sterile but the hexaploid triple mutant was moderately fertile, indicating potential utility for wheat breeding.

The structure, function, and evolution of plant centromeres.

Centromeres are essential regions of eukaryotic chromosomes responsible for the formation of kinetochore complexes, which connect to spindle microtubules during cell division. Notably, although centromeres maintain a conserved function in chromosome segregation, the underlying DNA sequences are diverse both within and between species and are predominantly repetitive in nature. The repeat content of centromeres includes high-copy tandem repeats (satellites), and/or specific families of transposons. The functional region of the centromere is defined by loading of a specific histone 3 variant (CENH3), which nucleates the kinetochore and shows dynamic regulation. In many plants, the centromeres are composed of satellite repeat arrays that are densely DNA methylated and invaded by centrophilic retrotransposons. In some cases, the retrotransposons become the sites of CENH3 loading. We review the structure of plant centromeres, including monocentric, holocentric, and metapolycentric architectures, which vary in the number and distribution of kinetochore attachment sites along chromosomes. We discuss how variation in CENH3 loading can drive genome elimination during early cell divisions of plant embryogenesis. We review how epigenetic state may influence centromere identity and discuss evolutionary models that seek to explain the paradoxically rapid change of centromere sequences observed across species, including the potential roles of recombination. We outline putative modes of selection that could act within the centromeres, as well as the role of repeats in driving cycles of centromere evolution. Although our primary focus is on plant genomes, we draw comparisons with animal and fungal centromeres to derive a eukaryote-wide perspective of centromere structure and function.

Control of meiotic crossover interference by a proteolytic chaperone network.

Meiosis is a specialized eukaryotic division that produces genetically diverse gametes for sexual reproduction. During meiosis, homologous chromosomes pair and undergo reciprocal exchanges, called crossovers, which recombine genetic variation. Meiotic crossovers are stringently controlled with at least one obligate exchange forming per chromosome pair, while closely spaced crossovers are inhibited by interference. In Arabidopsis, crossover positions can be explained by a diffusion-mediated coarsening model, in which large, approximately evenly spaced foci of the pro-crossover E3 ligase HEI10 grow at the expense of smaller, closely spaced clusters. However, the mechanisms that control HEI10 dynamics during meiosis remain unclear. Here, through a forward genetic screen in Arabidopsis, we identified high crossover rate3 (hcr3), a dominant-negative mutant that reduces crossover interference and increases crossovers genome-wide. HCR3 encodes J3, a co-chaperone related to HSP40, which acts to target protein aggregates and biomolecular condensates to the disassembly chaperone HSP70, thereby promoting proteasomal degradation. Consistently, we show that a network of HCR3 and HSP70 chaperones facilitates proteolysis of HEI10, thereby regulating interference and the recombination landscape. These results reveal a new role for the HSP40/J3-HSP70 chaperones in regulating chromosome-wide dynamics of recombination via control of HEI10 proteolysis.

Structural variation and DNA methylation shape the centromere-proximal meiotic crossover landscape in Arabidopsis.

BACKGROUND: Centromeres load kinetochore complexes onto chromosomes, which mediate spindle attachment and allow segregation during cell division. Although centromeres perform a conserved cellular function, their underlying DNA sequences are highly divergent within and between species. Despite variability in DNA sequence, centromeres are also universally suppressed for meiotic crossover recombination, across eukaryotes. However, the genetic and epigenetic factors responsible for suppression of centromeric crossovers remain to be completely defined. RESULTS: To explore the centromere-proximal meiotic recombination landscape, we map 14,397 crossovers against fully assembled Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) genomes. A. thaliana centromeres comprise megabase satellite repeat arrays that load nucleosomes containing the CENH3 histone variant. Each chromosome contains a structurally polymorphic region of ~3-4 megabases, which lack crossovers and include the satellite arrays. This polymorphic region is flanked by ~1-2 megabase low-recombination zones. These recombination-suppressed regions are enriched for Gypsy/Ty3 retrotransposons, and additionally contain expressed genes with high genetic diversity that initiate meiotic recombination, yet do not crossover. We map crossovers at high-resolution in proximity to CEN3, which resolves punctate centromere-proximal hotspots that overlap gene islands embedded in heterochromatin. Centromeres are densely DNA methylated and the recombination landscape is remodelled in DNA methylation mutants. We observe that the centromeric low-recombining zones decrease and increase crossovers in CG (met1) and non-CG (cmt3) mutants, respectively, whereas the core non-recombining zones remain suppressed. CONCLUSION: Our work relates the genetic and epigenetic organization of A. thaliana centromeres and flanking pericentromeric heterochromatin to the zones of crossover suppression that surround the CENH3-occupied satellite repeat arrays.

Antibody-Mediated Serum Resistance Protects Pseudomonas aeruginosa During Bloodstream Infections.

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a frequent pathogen isolated from bacterial bloodstream infection (BSI) and is associated with high mortality. To survive in the blood, P aeruginosa must resist the bactericidal action of complement (ie, serum killing). Antibodies usually promote serum killing through the classical complement pathway; however, "cloaking antibodies" (cAbs) have been described, which paradoxically protect bacteria from serum killing. The relevance of cAbs in P aeruginosa BSI is unknown. METHODS: Serum and P aeruginosa were collected from a cohort of 100 patients with BSI. Isolates were tested for sensitivity to healthy control serum (HCS). cAb prevalence was determined in sera. Patient sera were mixed with HCS to determine if killing of the matched isolate was inhibited. RESULTS: Overall, 36 patients had elevated titers of cAbs, and 34 isolates were sensitive to HCS killing. Fifteen patients had cAbs and HCS-sensitive isolates; of these patients, 14 had serum that protected their matched bacteria from HCS killing. Patients with cAbs were less likely to be neutropenic or have comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: cAbs are prevalent in patients with P aeruginosa BSI and allow survival of otherwise serum-sensitive bacteria in the bloodstream. Generation of cAbs may be a risk factor for the development of BSI.

MSH2 stimulates interfering and inhibits non-interfering crossovers in response to genetic polymorphism.

Meiotic crossovers can be formed through the interfering pathway, in which one crossover prevents another from forming nearby, or by an independent non-interfering pathway. In Arabidopsis, local sequence polymorphism between homologs can stimulate interfering crossovers in a MSH2-dependent manner. To understand how MSH2 regulates crossovers formed by the two pathways, we combined Arabidopsis mutants that elevate non-interfering crossovers with msh2 mutants. We demonstrate that MSH2 blocks non-interfering crossovers at polymorphic loci, which is the opposite effect to interfering crossovers. We also observe MSH2-independent crossover inhibition at highly polymorphic sites. We measure recombination along the chromosome arms in lines differing in patterns of heterozygosity and observe a MSH2-dependent crossover increase at the boundaries between heterozygous and homozygous regions. Here, we show that MSH2 is a master regulator of meiotic DSB repair in Arabidopsis, with antagonistic effects on interfering and non-interfering crossovers, which shapes the crossover landscape in relation to interhomolog polymorphism.

Natural products as anthelmintics: safeguarding animal health.

Covering literature to December 2022This review provides a comprehensive account of all natural products (500 compounds, including 17 semi-synthetic derivatives) described in the primary literature up to December 2022, reported to be capable of inhibiting the egg hatching, motility, larval development and/or the survival of helminths (i.e., nematodes, flukes and tapeworms). These parasitic worms infect and compromise the health and welfare, productivity and lives of commercial livestock (i.e., sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, poultry and fish), companion animals (i.e., dogs and cats) and other high value, endangered and/or exotic animals. Attention is given to chemical structures, as well as source organisms and anthelmintic properties, including the nature of bioassay target species, in vivo animal hosts, and measures of potency.

Antibiotics in the clinical pipeline as of December 2022.

The need for new antibacterial drugs to treat the increasing global prevalence of drug-resistant bacterial infections has clearly attracted global attention, with a range of existing and upcoming funding, policy, and legislative initiatives designed to revive antibacterial R&D. It is essential to assess whether these programs are having any real-world impact and this review continues our systematic analyses that began in 2011. Direct-acting antibacterials (47), non-traditional small molecule antibacterials (5), and ß-lactam/ß-lactamase inhibitor combinations (10) under clinical development as of December 2022 are described, as are the three antibacterial drugs launched since 2020. Encouragingly, the increased number of early-stage clinical candidates observed in the 2019 review increased in 2022, although the number of first-time drug approvals from 2020 to 2022 was disappointingly low. It will be critical to monitor how many Phase-I and -II candidates move into Phase-III and beyond in the next few years. There was also an enhanced presence of novel antibacterial pharmacophores in early-stage trials, and at least 18 of the 26 phase-I candidates were targeted to treat Gram-negative bacteria infections. Despite the promising early-stage antibacterial pipeline, it is essential to maintain funding for antibacterial R&D and to ensure that plans to address late-stage pipeline issues succeed.

TRASH: Tandem Repeat Annotation and Structural Hierarchy.

MOTIVATION: The advent of long-read DNA sequencing is allowing complete assembly of highly repetitive genomic regions for the first time, including the megabase-scale satellite repeat arrays found in many eukaryotic centromeres. The assembly of such repetitive regions creates a need for their de novo annotation, including patterns of higher order repetition. To annotate tandem repeats, methods are required that can be widely applied to diverse genome sequences, without prior knowledge of monomer sequences. RESULTS: Tandem Repeat Annotation and Structural Hierarchy (TRASH) is a tool that identifies and maps tandem repeats in nucleotide sequence, without prior knowledge of repeat composition. TRASH analyses a fasta assembly file, identifies regions occupied by repeats and then precisely maps them and their higher order structures. To demonstrate the applicability and scalability of TRASH for centromere research, we apply our method to the recently published Col-CEN genome of Arabidopsis thaliana and the complete human CHM13 genome. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: TRASH is freely available at:https://github.com/vlothec/TRASH and supported on Linux.

Cycles of satellite and transposon evolution in Arabidopsis centromeres.

Centromeres are critical for cell division, loading CENH3 or CENPA histone variant nucleosomes, directing kinetochore formation and allowing chromosome segregation1,2. Despite their conserved function, centromere size and structure are diverse across species. To understand this centromere paradox3,4, it is necessary to know how centromeric diversity is generated and whether it reflects ancient trans-species variation or, instead, rapid post-speciation divergence. To address these questions, we assembled 346 centromeres from 66 Arabidopsis thaliana and 2 Arabidopsis lyrata accessions, which exhibited a remarkable degree of intra- and inter-species diversity. A. thaliana centromere repeat arrays are embedded in linkage blocks, despite ongoing internal satellite turnover, consistent with roles for unidirectional gene conversion or unequal crossover between sister chromatids in sequence diversification. Additionally, centrophilic ATHILA transposons have recently invaded the satellite arrays. To counter ATHILA invasion, chromosome-specific bursts of satellite homogenization generate higher-order repeats and purge transposons, in line with cycles of repeat evolution. Centromeric sequence changes are even more extreme in comparison between A. thaliana and A. lyrata. Together, our findings identify rapid cycles of transposon invasion and purging through satellite homogenization, which drive centromere evolution and ultimately contribute to speciation.

Vi polysaccharide and conjugated vaccines afford similar early, IgM or IgG-independent control of infection but boosting with conjugated Vi vaccines sustains the efficacy of immune responses.

Introduction: Vaccination with Vi capsular polysaccharide (Vi-PS) or protein-Vi typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) can protect adults against Salmonella Typhi infections. TCVs offer better protection than Vi-PS in infants and may offer better protection in adults. Potential reasons for why TCV may be superior in adults are not fully understood. Methods and results: Here, we immunized wild-type (WT) mice and mice deficient in IgG or IgM with Vi-PS or TCVs (Vi conjugated to tetanus toxoid or CRM197) for up to seven months, with and without subsequent challenge with Vi-expressing Salmonella Typhimurium. Unexpectedly, IgM or IgG alone were similarly able to reduce bacterial burdens in tissues, and this was observed in response to conjugated or unconjugated Vi vaccines and was independent of antibody being of high affinity. Only in the longer-term after immunization (>5 months) were differences observed in tissue bacterial burdens of mice immunized with Vi-PS or TCV. These differences related to the maintenance of antibody responses at higher levels in mice boosted with TCV, with the rate of fall in IgG titres induced to Vi-PS being greater than for TCV. Discussion: Therefore, Vi-specific IgM or IgG are independently capable of protecting from infection and any superior protection from vaccination with TCV in adults may relate to responses being able to persist better rather than from differences in the antibody isotypes induced. These findings suggest that enhancing our understanding of how responses to vaccines are maintained may inform on how to maximize protection afforded by conjugate vaccines against encapsulated pathogens such as S. Typhi.

Efficient Autotransporter-Mediated Extracellular Secretion of a Heterologous Recombinant Protein by Escherichia coli.

The autotransporter protein secretion system has been used previously to target the secretion of heterologous proteins to the bacterial cell surface and the extracellular milieu at the laboratory scale. The platform is of particular interest for the production of "difficult" recombinant proteins that might cause toxic effects when produced intracellularly. One such protein is IrmA. IrmA is a vaccine candidate that is produced in inclusion bodies requiring refolding. Here, we describe the use and scale-up of the autotransporter system for the secretion of an industrially relevant protein (IrmA). A plasmid expressing IrmA was constructed such that the autotransporter platform could secrete IrmA into the culture supernatant fraction. The autotransporter platform was suitable for the production and purification of IrmA with comparable physical properties to the protein produced in the cytoplasm. The production of IrmA was translated to scale-up protein production conditions resulting in a yield of 29.3 mg/L of IrmA from the culture supernatant, which is consistent with yields of current industrial processes. IMPORTANCE Recombinant protein production is an essential component of the biotechnology sector. Here, we show that the autotransporter platform is a viable method for the recombinant production, secretion, and purification of a "difficult" to produce protein on an industrially relevant scale. Use of the autotransporter platform could reduce the number of downstream processing operations required, thus accelerating the development time and reducing costs for recombinant protein production.

A multiomic approach to defining the essential genome of the globally important pathogen Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

Diphtheria is a respiratory disease caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. While the toxin-based vaccine has helped control outbreaks of the disease since the mid-20th century there has been an increase in cases in recent years, including systemic infections caused by non-toxigenic C. diphtheriae strains. Here we describe the first study of gene essentiality in C. diphtheriae, providing the most-dense Transposon Directed Insertion Sequencing (TraDIS) library in the phylum Actinobacteriota. This high-density library has allowed the identification of conserved genes across the genus and phylum with essential function and enabled the elucidation of essential domains within the resulting proteins including those involved in cell envelope biogenesis. Validation of these data through protein mass spectrometry identified hypothetical and uncharacterized proteins in the proteome which are also represented in the vaccine. These data are an important benchmark and useful resource for the Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, Nocardia and Rhodococcus research community. It enables the identification of novel antimicrobial and vaccine targets and provides a basis for future studies of Actinobacterial biology.

Salmonella infection induces the reorganization of follicular dendritic cell networks concomitant with the failure to generate germinal centers.

Germinal centers (GCs) are sites where plasma and memory B cells form to generate high-affinity, Ig class-switched antibodies. Specialized stromal cells called follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) are essential for GC formation. During systemic Salmonella Typhimurium (STm) infection GCs are absent, whereas extensive extrafollicular and switched antibody responses are maintained. The mechanisms that underpin the absence of GC formation are incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that STm induces a reversible disruption of niches within the splenic microenvironment, including the T and B cell compartments and the marginal zone. Alongside these effects after infection, mature FDC networks are strikingly absent, whereas immature FDC precursors, including marginal sinus pre-FDCs (MadCAM-1+) and perivascular pre-FDCs (PDGFRß+) are enriched. As normal FDC networks re-establish, extensive GCs become detectable throughout the spleen. Therefore, the reorganization of FDC networks and the loss of GC responses are key, parallel features of systemic STm infections.

Genome-Wide Analysis of Antigen 43 (Ag43) Variants: New Insights in Their Diversity, Distribution and Prevalence in Bacteria.

Antigen 43 (Ag43) expression induces aggregation and biofilm formation that has consequences for bacterial colonisation and infection. Ag43 is secreted through the Type 5 subtype "a" secretion system (T5aSS) and is a prototypical member of the family of self-associating autotransporters (SAATs). As a T5aSS protein, Ag43 has a modular architecture comprised of (i) a signal peptide, (ii) a passenger domain that can be subdivided into three subdomains (SL, EJ, and BL), (iii) an autochaperone (AC) domain, and (iv) an outer membrane translocator. The cell-surface SL subdomain is directly involved in the "Velcro-handshake" mechanism resulting in bacterial autoaggregation. Ag43 is considered to have a ubiquitous distribution in E. coli genomes and many strains harbour multiple agn43 genes. However, recent phylogenetic analyses indicated the existence of four distinct Ag43 classes exhibiting different propensities for autoaggregation and interactions. Given the knowledge of the diversity and distribution of Ag43 in E. coli genomes is incomplete, we have performed a thorough in silico investigation across bacterial genomes. Our comprehensive analyses indicate that Ag43 passenger domains cluster in six phylogenetic classes associated with different SL subdomains. The diversity of Ag43 passenger domains is a result of the association of the SL subtypes with two different EJ-BL-AC modules. We reveal that agn43 is almost exclusively present among bacterial species of the Enterobacteriaceae family and essentially in the Escherichia genus (99.6%) but that it is not ubiquitous in E. coli. The gene is typically present as a single copy but up to five copies of agn43 with different combinations of classes can be observed. The presence of agn43 as well as its different classes appeared to differ between Escherichia phylogroups. Strikingly, agn43 is present in 90% of E. coli from E phylogroup. Our results shed light on Ag43 diversity and provide a rational framework for investigating its role in E. coli ecophysiology and physiopathology.

Redefining the bacterial Type I protein secretion system.

Type I secretion systems (T1SS) are versatile molecular machines for protein transport across the Gram-negative cell envelope. The archetypal Type I system mediates secretion of the Escherichia coli hemolysin, HlyA. This system has remained the pre-eminent model of T1SS research since its discovery. The classic description of a T1SS is composed of three proteins: an inner membrane ABC transporter, a periplasmic adaptor protein and an outer membrane factor. According to this model, these components assemble to form a continuous channel across the cell envelope, an unfolded substrate molecule is then transported in a one-step mechanism, directly from the cytosol to the extracellular milieu. However, this model does not encapsulate the diversity of T1SS that have been characterized to date. In this review, we provide an updated definition of a T1SS, and propose the subdivision of this system into five subgroups. These subgroups are categorized as T1SSa for RTX proteins, T1SSb for non-RTX Ca2+-binding proteins, T1SSc for non-RTX proteins, T1SSd for class II microcins, and T1SSe for lipoprotein secretion. Although often overlooked in the literature, these alternative mechanisms of Type I protein secretion offer many avenues for biotechnological discovery and application.

Plasmids Can Shift Bacterial Morphological Response against Antibiotic Stress.

Bacterial cell filamentation is a morphological change wherein cell division is blocked, which can improve bacterial survival under unfavorable conditions (e.g., antibiotic stress that causes DNA damage). As an extrachromosomal DNA molecule, plasmids can confer additionally advantageous traits including antibiotic resistance on the host. However, little is known about whether plasmids could shift bacterial morphological responses to antibiotic stress. Here, it is reported that plasmid-free cells, rather than plasmid-bearing cells, exhibit filamentation and asymmetrical cell division under exposure to sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and cephalexin). The underlying mechanism is revealed by investigating DNA damage, cell division inhibitor sulA, the SOS response, toxin-antitoxin module (parDE) located on plasmids, and efflux pumps. Significantly higher expression of sulA is observed in plasmid-free cells, compared to plasmid-bearing cells. Plasmid carriage enables the hosts to suffer less DNA damage, exhibit stronger efflux pump activities, and thus have a higher antibiotic tolerance. These benefits are attributed to the parDE module that mediates stress responses from plasmid-bearing cells and mainly contributes to cell morphological changes. Collectively, the findings demonstrate that plasmids can confer additional innate defenses on the host to antibiotics, thus advancing the understanding of how plasmids affect bacterial evolution in hostile environments.

Identification, characterization, and rescue of CRISPR/Cas9 generated wheat SPO11-1 mutants.

Increasing crop yields through plant breeding is time consuming and laborious, with the generation of novel combinations of alleles being limited by chromosomal linkage blocks and linkage-drag. Meiotic recombination is essential to create novel genetic variation via the reshuffling of parental alleles. The exchange of genetic information between homologous chromosomes occurs at crossover (CO) sites but CO frequency is often low and unevenly distributed. This bias creates the problem of linkage-drag in recombination 'cold' regions, where undesirable variation remains linked to useful traits. In plants, programmed meiosis-specific DNA double-strand breaks, catalysed by the SPO11 complex, initiate the recombination pathway, although only ~5% result in the formation of COs. To study the role of SPO11-1 in wheat meiosis, and as a prelude to manipulation, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to generate edits in all three SPO11-1 homoeologues of hexaploid wheat. Characterization of progeny lines shows plants deficient in all six SPO11-1 copies fail to undergo chromosome synapsis, lack COs and are sterile. In contrast, lines carrying a single copy of any one of the three wild-type homoeologues are phenotypically indistinguishable from unedited plants both in terms of vegetative growth and fertility. However, cytogenetic analysis of the edited plants suggests that homoeologues differ in their ability to generate COs and in the dynamics of synapsis. In addition, we show that the transformation of wheat mutants carrying six edited copies of SPO11-1 with the TaSPO11-1B gene, restores synapsis, CO formation, and fertility and hence opens a route to modifying recombination in this agronomically important crop.