Streptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution
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...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2018
|
| _version_ | 1797101499900231680 |
|---|---|
| author | Atack, J Weinert, L Tucker, A Husna, A Wileman, T F Hadjirin, N Hoa, N Parkhill, J Maskell, D Blackall, P Jennings, M |
| author_facet | Atack, J Weinert, L Tucker, A Husna, A Wileman, T F Hadjirin, N Hoa, N Parkhill, J Maskell, D Blackall, P Jennings, M |
| author_sort | Atack, J |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T05:52:51Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:e97d45f6-82fb-460e-ab4d-981a7e2623ec |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T05:52:51Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:e97d45f6-82fb-460e-ab4d-981a7e2623ec2022-03-27T10:54:44ZStreptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distributionJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:e97d45f6-82fb-460e-ab4d-981a7e2623ecEnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordOxford University Press2018Atack, JWeinert, LTucker, AHusna, AWileman, TF Hadjirin, NHoa, NParkhill, JMaskell, DBlackall, PJennings, MStreptococcus 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. |
| spellingShingle | Atack, J Weinert, L Tucker, A Husna, A Wileman, T F Hadjirin, N Hoa, N Parkhill, J Maskell, D Blackall, P Jennings, M Streptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution |
| title | Streptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution |
| title_full | Streptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution |
| title_fullStr | Streptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Streptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution |
| title_short | Streptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution |
| title_sort | streptococcus suis contains multiple phase variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT atackj streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution AT weinertl streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution AT tuckera streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution AT husnaa streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution AT wilemant streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution AT fhadjirinn streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution AT hoan streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution AT parkhillj streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution AT maskelld streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution AT blackallp streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution AT jenningsm streptococcussuiscontainsmultiplephasevariablemethyltransferasesthatshowadiscretelineagedistribution |