Streptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution.
View / Open Files
Authors
Atack, John M
Weinert, Lucy A
Tucker, Alexander W
Husna, Asma U
Wileman, Thomas M
F Hadjirin, Nazreen
Hoa, Ngo T
Maskell, Duncan J
Blackall, Patrick J
Jennings, Michael P
Publication Date
2018-11-30Journal Title
Nucleic Acids Research
ISSN
0305-1048
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Atack, J. M., Weinert, L. A., Tucker, A. W., Husna, A. U., Wileman, T. M., F Hadjirin, N., Hoa, N. T., et al. (2018). Streptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution.. Nucleic Acids Research https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gky913
Abstract
Streptococcus suis is a major pathogen of swine, responsible for a number of chronic and acute infections, and is also emerging as a major zoonotic pathogen, particularly in South-East Asia. Our study of a diverse population of S. suis shows that this organism contains both Type I and Type III phase-variable methyltransferases. In all previous examples, phase-variation of methyltransferases results in genome wide methylation differences, and results in differential regulation of multiple genes, a system known as the phasevarion (phase-variable regulon). We hypothesized that each variant in the Type I and Type III systems encoded a methyltransferase with a unique specificity, and could therefore control a distinct phasevarion, either by recombination-driven shuffling between different specificities (Type I) or by biphasic on-off switching via simple sequence repeats (Type III). Here, we present the identification of the target specificities for each Type III allelic variant from S. suis using single-molecule, real-time methylome analysis. We demonstrate phase-variation is occurring in both Type I and Type III methyltransferases, and show a distinct association between methyltransferase type and presence, and population clades. In addition, we show that the phase-variable Type I methyltransferase was likely acquired at the origin of a highly virulent zoonotic sub-population.
Keywords
Alleles, Animals, DNA Methylation, DNA Modification Methylases, DNA, Bacterial, Epigenesis, Genetic, Escherichia coli, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Genetic Variation, Genome, Bacterial, Methyltransferases, Microsatellite Repeats, Oligonucleotides, Phenotype, Regulon, Streptococcal Infections, Streptococcus suis, Swine
Sponsorship
Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project [180100976 to J.M.A., P.J.B.]; National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC; Australia) Program Grant [1071659 to M.P.J.]; Principal Research Fellowship [1138466 to M.P.J.]; Wellcome Grant [098051 to J.P.]; Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship funded by the Royal Society [DH140195 to L.A.W.]; Sir Henry Dale Fellowship jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society [109385/Z/15/Z to L.A.W.]. Funding for open access charge: NHMRC Program grant 1071659.
Funder references
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/G019274/1)
Royal Society (DH140195)
Wellcome Trust (109385/Z/15/Z)
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) Societal Challenges (727966)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gky913
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/286435
Statistics
Total file downloads (since January 2020). For more information on metrics see the
IRUS guide.
Recommended or similar items
The current recommendation prototype on the Apollo Repository will be turned off on 03 February 2023. Although the pilot has been fruitful for both parties, the service provider IKVA is focusing on horizon scanning products and so the recommender service can no longer be supported. We recognise the importance of recommender services in supporting research discovery and are evaluating offerings from other service providers. If you would like to offer feedback on this decision please contact us on: support@repository.cam.ac.uk