1,721,031 research outputs found
A trigger enzyme in Mycoplasma pneumoniae: impact of the glycerophosphodiesterase GlpQ on virulence and gene expression.
Full text linkMycoplasma pneumoniae is a causative agent of atypical pneumonia. The formation of hydrogen peroxide, a product of glycerol metabolism, is essential for host cell cytotoxicity. Phosphatidylcholine is the major carbon source available on lung epithelia, and its utilization requires the cleavage of deacylated phospholipids to glycerol-3-phosphate and choline. M. pneumoniae possesses two potential glycerophosphodiesterases, MPN420 (GlpQ) and MPN566. In this work, the function of these proteins was analyzed by biochemical, genetic, and physiological studies. The results indicate that only GlpQ is an active glycerophosphodiesterase. MPN566 has no enzymatic activity as glycerophosphodiesterase and the inactivation of the gene did not result in any detectable phenotype. Inactivation of the glpQ gene resulted in reduced growth in medium with glucose as the carbon source, in loss of hydrogen peroxide production when phosphatidylcholine was present, and in a complete loss of cytotoxicity towards HeLa cells. All these phenotypes were reverted upon complementation of the mutant. Moreover, the glpQ mutant strain exhibited a reduced gliding velocity. A comparison of the proteomes of the wild type strain and the glpQ mutant revealed that this enzyme is also implicated in the control of gene expression. Several proteins were present in higher or lower amounts in the mutant. This apparent regulation by GlpQ is exerted at the level of transcription as determined by mRNA slot blot analyses. All genes subject to GlpQ-dependent control have a conserved potential cis-acting element upstream of the coding region. This element overlaps the promoter in the case of the genes that are repressed in a GlpQ-dependent manner and it is located upstream of the promoter for GlpQ-activated genes. We may suggest that GlpQ acts as a trigger enzyme that measures the availability of its product glycerol-3-phosphate and uses this information to differentially control gene expression
Determination of the Gene Regulatory Network of a Genome-Reduced Bacterium Highlights Alternative Regulation Independent of Transcription Factors
No full textHere, we determined the relative importance of different transcriptional mechanisms in the genome-reduced bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae, by employing an array of experimental techniques under multiple genetic and environmental perturbations. Of the 143 genes tested (21% of the bacterium's annotated proteins), only 55% showed an altered phenotype, highlighting the robustness of biological systems. We identified nine transcription factors (TFs) and their targets, representing 43% of the genome, and 16 regulators that indirectly affect transcription. Only 20% of transcriptional regulation is mediated by canonical TFs when responding to perturbations. Using a Random Forest, we quantified the non-redundant contribution of different mechanisms such as supercoiling, metabolic control, RNA degradation, and chromosome topology to transcriptional changes. Model-predicted gene changes correlate well with experimental data in 95% of the tested perturbations, explaining up to 70% of the total variance when also considering noise. This analysis highlights the importance of considering non-TF-mediated regulation when engineering bacteria.sponsorship: We acknowledge the staff of the Genomics Core facility for their assistance. Also, we thank the CRG/UPF Proteomics Unit, which is part of the Plataforma de Recursos Biomoleculares y Bioinformaticos (Instituto de Salud Carlos III), supported by grant PT13/0001. The project was supported by funds from the Fundacion Marcelino Botin and the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (BIO2007-61762). This project was financed by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-financed by Federacion Espanola de Enfermedades Raras under grant agreement PI10/01702 and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, under grant agreements no 634942 (MycoSynVac) and 670216 (MYCOCHASSIS). We acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness to the EMBL partnership, Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa. We also acknowledge the support of the CERCA Program from the Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain. (Fundacion Marcelino Botin, Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad|BIO2007-61762, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Federacion Espanola de Enfermedades Raras|PI10/01702, European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union|634942, European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union|670216, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, CERCA Program from the Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain, grant PT13/0001, European Research Council (ERC)|670216)status: Publishe
Synthetic biology in Mycoplasma pneumoniae
No full textM. pneumoniae is one of the smallest self-replicating organisms. Many organism wide studies have been performed on M. pneumoniae and provide a wealth of information on the bacteria. However, the genetic tools to manipulate and engineer this microorganism are currently insufficient. Therefore one focus of this project is to extend the genetic toolbox for M. pneumoniae. In parallel, we developed first a proof of concepts study for the use of M. pneumoniae as therapeutical vector. For this purpose the secretome of M. pneumoniae has been investigated to define all secretion signals in this bacterium. This knowledge was used to modify M. pneumoniae to secrete three proteins with therapeutical applications. Further we could show for two of the proteins that they are active after secretion and therefore that M. pneumoniae can be used to engineer therapeutic vectors for treating lungs diseases.M. pneumoniae es uno de los microrganismos auto-replicativos más pequeños descritos hasta el momento. En nuestro grupo se ha empleado como modelo en Biología de Sistemas y se ha caracterizado a diferentes niveles (genoma, transcriptoma, proteoma...etc). Sin embargo, las herramientas genéticas para manipular y emplear este microorganismo como modelo en Bilogía Sintética, son insuficientes. Por lo tanto, uno de los objetivos de este proyecto es ampliar el repertorio de herramientas moleculares de M. pneumoniae. En paralelo, hemos desarrollado por primera vez una “prueba de concepto” para el uso de M. pneumoniae con finalidades terapéuticas. Con este propósito, primero hemos determinado el secretoma de M. pneumoniae que ha permitido identificar todas las señales de secreción de esta bacteria. Posteriormente, se ha aplicado este conocimiento para obtener cepas de M. pneumoniae capaces de secretar tres proteínas con aplicaciones terapéuticas. Hemos demostrado que dos de las tres proteínas son activas tras la secreción, abriendo nuevas perspectivas en el uso de M. pneumoniae para el tratamiento de enfermedades pulmonares.Programa de doctorat en Biomedicin
Streamlining minimal bacterial genomes : Analysis of the pan bacterial essential genome, and a novel strategy for random genome deletions in Mycoplasma pneumoniae
No full textUnderstanding what constitutes a true Minimal Cell is a key challenge in synthetic biology. In this work, we present two new tools to aid in this endeavour. i) A novel methodology for minimising the Mycoplasma pneumoniae genome via random deletions of genetic material. This protocol utilises the Cre Lox system coupled with random transposon mutagenesis to create a population with random lox sites dispersed around the genome. This allows for a population of cells containing a high variability of large and small-scale deletions ranging from 50bp to 25Kb within M. pneumoniae. ii) The first large scale analysis of the essentiality of genes from multiple bacterial species, and how the composition and function of the essential genome of a bacterium changes based on the genome’s complexity.Discernir cuales son los componentes que podrían constituir una célula mínima es un desafío clave para la Biología Sintética. En esta tesis, se presentan dos nuevas herramientas para facilitar esta tarea. (i) Una nueva metodología para minimizar el genoma de Mycoplasma pneumoniae mediante la deleción aleatoria de material genético. Esta técnica combina el sistema Cre/lox con la mutagénesis aleatoria mediada por transposones para generar poblaciones bacterianas en las que los sitios lox están distribuidos de manera aleatoria a lo largo de su genoma. Esto permite la generación de poblaciones bacterianas en las que el tamaño de las deleciones efectuadas varia desde 50 pb hasta 25 kb. (ii) El primer análisis a gran escala de la esencialidad genética en múltiples especies bacterianas, y cómo la composición y función del grupo de genes esenciales de una bacteria cambia en función de la complejidad de su genoma.Programa de doctorat en Biomedicin
Estudio de la Expresión Génica y la División Celular en Mycoplasma genitalium
Full text linkLos micoplasmas son bacterias sin pared celular que pertenecen a la clase Mollicutes. Estos microorganismos se caracterizan por su pequeño tamaño y por tener un genoma reducido con un bajo porcentaje de C+G. Muchas especies de mycoplasma actúan como parásitos y patógenos de un amplio rango de huéspedes, causando enfermedades comunes en humanos. Por ejemplo, Mycoplasma genitalium, objeto de esta tesis, es el causante de la uretritis no gonocócica. La secuenciación del genoma de algunos micoplasmas ha favorecido el conocimiento de la fisiología y genética de estos microorganismos, pero algunos mecanismos como la regulación de la expresión génica y la división celular siguen siendo aún un misterio por desvelar. M. genitalium, con tan sólo 525 genes, es considerado un modelo de célula mínima. Posee el genoma más pequeño de entre todas las bacterias que se pueden cultivar axénicamente, siendo así un candidato ideal para el estudio de los procesos biológicos con el mínimo número de genes implicados. El trabajo presentado en esta tesis se divide en tres capítulos independientes. En el primero se estudia la regulación de la expresión génica en M. genitalium y M. pneumoniae. El trabajo con M. pneumoniae fue llevado a cabo durante una estancia en el laboratorio del Prof. J. Stülke (Göttingen, Alemania). Este primer trabajo dio lugar a un artículo publicado en la revista Microbiology. La obtención de un mutante por transposición de M. genitalium que deleccionaba el gen ftsZ, descrito como esencial para la división celular en la mayor parte de bacterias, derivó en el segundo capítulo de esta tesis. En este segundo trabajo se investiga la división celular en micoplasma en ausencia de este gen. Este estudio ha sido publicado recientemente en la revista Molecular Microbiology. Por último, con el objetivo de profundizar en el tema de la división celular en micoplasma, en el tercer capítulo se analiza la funcionalidad del gen mraZ, que junto con mraW, mg223 y ftsZ conforma el operón de división celular de M. genitalium.Mycoplasmas are the smallest and simplest free-living microorganisms. They are members of the Mollicutes class which is characterized by the absence of cell wall and by having genomes with a low G+C content. Despite this apparent simplicity, some mycoplasma species are parasites and pathogens of a wide range of hosts. For instance, Mycoplasma genitalium, which is the object of this thesis, is the agent of non-gonococcal and non-chlamydial urethritis. Genome sequencing has advanced the knowledge concerning the physiology and genetics of these microorganisms, but some mechanisms such as the regulation of gene expression and the cell division remain unclear. With only 525 genes M. genitalium is considered a model of minimal cell, since it has the smallest genome of any microorganism that can be grown in a pure or axenic culture. It is considered a perfect candidate to study biological processes with the minimal set of genes. This thesis is divided into three independent chapters. In the first one we study the regulation of gene expression in M. genitalium and M. pneumoniae. This work was published in 2007 in the journal "Microbiology". A minitransposon insertion was found in the ftsZ gene of M. genitalium, indicating that this gene was not essential for cell division in this microorganism. In the second chapter of this thesis we investigate the cell division process in M. genitalium in the absence of ftsZ. This work was recently published in the journal "Molecular Microbiology". Finally, to gain insight into the cell division process in mycoplasma, in the third chapter we analyze the function of the mraZ gene, which together with mraW, mg223 and ftsZ comprise the cell division operon of M. genitalium
Determinants of growth rate in genome-reduced bacteria
Full text linkUnderstanding how the growth rate is regulated in bacteria is an ongoing challenge in biology and its controlled regulation would have a great impact in the biotechnological industry. Growth rates may be regulated by several genetic factors, but despite some of them are known, we are still unable to rationally increase bacterial growth rates. Most studies are done in fast-growing and highly complex bacteria with large and redundant genomes. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, from the Mollicutes class, is a simpler organism with one of the smallest genomes. Furthermore, Mollicutes species have wide range of growth rates and reduced genomes making them appealing for growth studies. In this thesis, we investigated the genetic determinants of growth rates in M. pneumoniae and in other Mollicutes species by different approaches. Our results corroborated some genetic factors reported to be associated to fast growth and found additional translational and metabolic determinants that have not been described before.Entender cómo se regula la tasa de crecimiento en bacterias es uno de los retos en curso en biología y su regulación controlada tendría un gran impacto en la industria biotecnológica. Las tasas de crecimiento pueden ser reguladas por varios factores genéticos, pero a pesar de que algunos de ellos son en parte conocidos, aún somos incapaces de incrementar las tasas de crecimiento racionalmente. La mayoría de estudios se han llevado a cabo en bacterias de crecimiento rápido y complejas con genomas grandes y redundantes. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, de la clase Mollicutes, es un organismo más simple con uno de los genomas más pequeño y con poca redundancia. Adicionalmente, las especies de Mollicutes tienen un amplio rango de tasas de crecimiento y genomas reducidos, lo cual las hace atractivas para estudios de crecimiento. En esta tesis, investigamos los determinantes genéticos de las tasas de crecimiento en M. pneumoniae y en otras especies de Mollicutes por medio de enfoques diferentes. Nuestros resultados corroboraron algunos de los ya reportados factores genéticos asociados a un crecimiento rápido y encontramos además determinantes traduccionales y metabólicos que no habían sido descritos anteriormente.Programa de doctorat en Biomedicin
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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