Éditeur(s) : Wiley-blackwell Publishing, Inc
Résumé : Vibrioses are the predominant bacterial infections in marine shrimp farms. Vibrio nigripulchritudo is an emerging pathogen of the cultured shrimp Litopenaeus stylirostris in New Caledonia and other regions in the Indo-Pacific. The molecular determinants of V. nigripulchritudo pathogenicity are unknown; however, molecular epidemiological studies have revealed that recent pathogenic V. nigripulchritudo isolates from New Caledonia all cluster into a monophyletic clade and contain a small plasmid, pB1067. Here, we report that a large plasmid, pA1066 (247 kb), can also serve as a marker for virulent V. nigripulchritudo, and that an ancestral version of this plasmid was likely acquired prior to other virulence-linked markers. Additionally, we demonstrate that pA1066 is critical for the full virulence of V. nigripulchritudo in several newly developed experimental models of infection. Plasmid pB1067 also contributes to virulence; only strains containing both plasmids induced the highest level of shrimp mortality. Thus, it appears that these plasmids, which are absent from non-pathogenic isolates, may be driving forces, as well as markers, for the emergence of a pathogenic lineage of V. nigripulchritudo.
Environmental Microbiology (1462-2912) (Wiley-blackwell Publishing, Inc), 2011-02 , Vol. 13 , N. 2 , P. 296-306

Droits : 2010 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00031/14196/11469.pdf
DOI:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2010.02329.x
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00031/14196/

Éditeur(s) : Université de Paris 6 – Pierre et Marie Curie
Résumé : Since 1997, a new pathology seasonally occurs in new caledonian shrimp farms during the warm season and was named Summer Syndrome. Diseased Litopenaeus stylirostris shrimp suffer from a septicemic vibriosis which was attributed to V. nigripulchritudo. Preliminary studies based on a collection of V. nigripulchritudo strains have brought to light different virulence levels according to experimental infections results; three virulence statuses were defined: highly (HP), moderately (MP) and non pathogenic (NP). The aim of this work was to genetically characterize virulent V. nigripulchritudo strains. In a first step the genetic diversity of 58 V. nigripulchritudo strains was analyzed by MLST and AP-PCR, revealing a cluster of HP and MP strains, characterized by a low genetic variability and that includes all Summer Syndrome-associated isolates. This confirms the emergence of one cluster of pathogenic V. nigripulchritudo simultaneously with the emergence of the Summer Syndrome ; in a second step, 368 genetic markers of virulence were identified by a Suppressive Subtractive Hybridization performed between the genomes of a HP strain and a genetically close, NP isolate; the distribution of the screened SSH fragments was studied in 58 V. nigripulchritudo isolates by macro-array: 78 DNA fragments were selected, allowing to characterize clusters identified and pathogenic statuses; 13 are specific of the HP strains involved in Summer Syndrome. Interestingly, 10 of these markers are carried by a plasmid pSFn1 that contains sequences highly similar to those of a plasmid pAK1, detected in Vibrio shilonii, a coral pathogen. The origin and consequences of this plasmid acquisition are discussed.
Depuis 1997, les élevages de crevettes en Nouvelle-Calédonie sont confrontés à une nouvelle maladie, le Syndrome d'été, une vibriose septicémique dont l'agent étiologique est Vibrio nigripulchritudo. Les résultats d'infection expérimentale sur une collection de souches, ont montré l'existence de trois pathotypes distincts : hautement (HP), moyennement (MP) et non pathogène (NP). L'étude du polymorphisme génétique de 58 souches par typage moléculaire en MLST et AP-PCR, a mis en évidence un groupe phylogénétique particulier caractérisé par un très faible degré de variabilité génétique (confirmant l'émergence de ce groupe en parallèle à l'émergence du Syndrome d'été) et constitué uniquement de souches HP (dont toutes celles associées au Syndromed'été) et de souches MP. Afin d'identifier des marqueurs génétiques de la virulence des souches responsables du Syndrome d'été, et parmi ces marqueurs des gènes codant potentiellement pour des effecteurs de la virulence, une approche soustractive par SSH a été développée entre une souche HP de type Syndrome d'été et une souche NP : 368 marqueurs génétiques ont ainsi été mis en évidence ; la distribution de ces marqueurs a été étudiée chez les 58 souches de la collection par une approche en macroarray : 78 marqueurs ont été sélectionnés, qui permettent de caractériser les différents groupes phylogénétiques et les différents pathotypes, dont 13 fragments spécifiques des souches HP type Syndrome d'été. Parmi ces 13 fragments, 10 ont été localisés sur le plasmide pSFn1 qui a été entièrement séquencé. Ce même plasmide a été purifié uniquement des souches HP de type Syndrome d'été. Par ailleurs, une très forte homologie a été mise en évidence entre pSFn1 et pAK1, un autre plasmide également séquencé et retrouvé chez la souche V. shilonii AK1, responsable du blanchiment du corail Oculina patagonica en Méditerranée. Ces résultats ont ouvert la discussion sur le rôle de pSFn1 dans la virulence de V. nigripulchritudo.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/these-3906.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/3906/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP): Policy C - Option B
Résumé : International audience
We report the characterization of a DNA primase/ polymerase protein (PolpTN2) encoded by the pTN2 plasmid from Thermococcus nautilus. Sequence analysis revealed that this protein corresponds to a fusion between an N-terminal domain homologous to the small catalytic subunit PriS of heterodimeric archaeal and eukaryotic primases (AEP) and a C-terminal domain related to their large regulatory subunit PriL. This unique domain configuration is not found in other virus-and plasmid-encoded primases in which PriS-like domains are typically fused to different types of helicases. PolpTN2 exhibited primase, polymerase and nucleotidyl transferase activities and specifically incorporates dNTPs, to the exclusion of rNTPs. PolpTN2 could efficiently prime DNA synthesis by the T. nautilus PolB DNA polymerase, suggesting that it is used in vivo as a primase for pTN2 plasmid replication. The N-terminal PriS-like domain of PolpTN2 exhibited all activities of the full-length enzyme but was much less efficient in priming cellular DNA polymerases. Surprisingly, the N-terminal domain possesses reverse transcriptase activity. We speculate that this activity could reflect an ancestral function of AEP proteins in the transition from the RNA to the DNA world.
ISSN: 0305-1048

Droits : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
hal-01332620
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01332620
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01332620/document
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01332620/file/Nucl.%20Acids%20Res.-2014-Gill-3707-19.pdf
DOI : 10.1093/nar/gkt1385

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD BioMed Central
Résumé : International audience
Background: Increasingly, similarity networks are being used for evolutionary analyses of molecular datasets. These networks are very useful, in particular for the analysis of gene sharing, lateral gene transfer and for the detection of distant homologs. Currently, such analyses require some computer programming skills due to the limited availability of user-friendly freely distributed software. Consequently, although appealing, the construction and analyses of these networks remain less familiar to biologists than do phylogenetic approaches. Results: In order to ease the use of similarity networks in the community of evolutionary biologists, we introduce a software program, EGN, that runs under Linux or MacOSX. EGN automates the reconstruction of gene and genome networks from nucleic and proteic sequences. EGN also implements statistics describing genetic diversity in these samples, for various user-defined thresholds of similarities. In the interest of studying the complexity of evolutionary processes affecting microbial evolution, we applied EGN to a dataset of 571,044 proteic sequences from the three domains of life and from mobile elements. We observed that, in Borrelia, plasmids play a different role than in most other eubacteria. Rather than being genetic couriers involved in lateral gene transfer, Borrelia's plasmids and their genes act as private genetic goods, that contribute to the creation of genetic diversity within their parasitic hosts. Conclusion: EGN can be used for constructing, analyzing, and mining molecular datasets in evolutionary studies. The program can help increase our knowledge of the processes through which genes from distinct sources and/or from multiple genomes co-evolve in lineages of cellular organisms.
ISSN: 1471-2148

hal-01544799
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544799
DOI : 10.1186/1471-2148-13-146

Éditeur(s) : Wiley-blackwell Publishing, Inc
Résumé : Aims: A description of bacterial pathogens in shrimp ponds is necessary to understand their pathogenesis. Vibrio nigripulchritudo was shown to contain saprophytic and pathogenic strains among New Caledonian isolates. We established a method to map the development of V. nigripulchritudo in pond sediments at three different genetic levels: the species level, then at the pathogenic cluster level and finally at the plasmid level, present only in all highly pathogenic isolates. Methods and Results: PCR methods were applied to shrimp pond sediments both before and after a mortality outbreak. Using crude samples, the species V. nigripulchritudo is not detected at first (0/42 samples at day 56 post stocking) but appears frequently in the sediments after the mortality event (30/42 at day 107). The distribution of strains from the pathogenic cluster of V. nigripulchritudo also follows this pattern. In contrast, the pSFn1 virulence-associated plasmid was detected in one sample at day 56 and none at day 107. An enrichment method was developed to lower the detection limits of our assays. After enrichment, the species V. nigripulchritudo was detected in all samples at both dates. The number of samples positive for pSFn1 was 42/42 samples at day 56 and 29/42 at day 107. Conclusions: These results show that the sediments contain V. nigripulchritudo, notably pathogenic strains. Surprisingly, the virulence-associated plasmid pSFn1 found in all V. nigripulchritudo isolated from moribund shrimp appears less frequently in sediments, possibly being useless or even detrimental to its recipient bacteria in this environment. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study confirms the presence of pathogenic V. nigripulchritudo strains in shrimp pond sediment before a mortality outbreak complying with a previous hypothesis that sediments could be the infecting reservoir. After the outbreak, both total V. nigripulchritudo and pathogenic strains populations have largely increased, possibly contributing to the recurrent mortality observed in this shrimp vibriosis.
Journal Of Applied Microbiology (1364-5072) (Wiley-blackwell Publishing, Inc), 2010-06 , Vol. 108 , N. 6 , P. 2003-2011

Droits : 2010 The Society for Applied Microbiology - Wiley-Blackwell
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00004/11484/8177.pdf
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04601.x
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00004/11484/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Royal Society
Résumé : International audience
The 2 465 177 bp genome of Sulfolobus islandicus LAL14/1, host of the model rudivirus SIRV2, was sequenced. Exhaustive comparative genomic analysis of S. islandicus LAL14/1 and the nine other completely sequenced S. islandicus strains isolated from Iceland, Russia and USA revealed a highly syntenic common core genome of approximately 2 Mb and a long hyperplastic region containing most of the strain-specific genes. In LAL14/1, the latter region is enriched in insertion sequences, CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats), glycosyl transferase genes, toxin-antitoxin genes and MITE (miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements). The tRNA genes of LAL14/1 are preferential targets for the integration of mobile elements but clusters of atypical genes (CAG) are also integrated elsewhere in the genome. LAL14/1 carries five CRISPR loci with 10 per cent of spacers matching perfectly or imperfectly the genomes of archaeal viruses and plasmids found in the Icelandic hot springs. Strikingly, the CRISPR_2 region of LAL14/1 carries an unusually long 1.9 kb spacer interspersed between two repeat regions and displays a high similarity to pING1-like conjugative plasmids. Finally, we have developed a genetic system for S. islandicus LAL14/1 and created ΔpyrEF and ΔCRISPR_1 mutants using double cross-over and pop-in/pop-out approaches, respectively. Thus, LAL14/1 is a promising model to study virus-host interactions and the CRISPR/Cas defence mechanism in Archaea.
ISSN: 2046-6390

hal-00818894
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00818894
DOI : 10.1098/rsob.130010
PUBMED : 23594878

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD National Academy of Sciences
Résumé : International audience
The complexity and depth of the relationships between the three domains of life challenge the reliability of phylogenetic methods, encouraging the use of alternative analytical tools. We reconstructed a gene similarity network comprising the proteomes of 14 eukaryotes, 104 prokaryotes, 2,389 viruses and 1,044 plasmids. This network contains multiple signatures of the chimerical origin of Eukaryotes as a fusion of an archaebacterium and a eubacterium that could not have been observed using phylogenetic trees. A number of connected components (gene sets with stronger similarities than expected by chance) contain pairs of eukaryotic sequences exhibiting no direct detectable similarity. Instead, many eukaryotic sequences were indirectly connected through a ``eukaryote-archaebacterium-eubacterium-eukaryote'' similarity path. Furthermore, eukaryotic genes highly connected to prokaryotic genes from one domain tend not to be connected to genes from the other prokaryotic domain. Genes of archaebacterial and eubacterial ancestry tend to perform different functions and to act at different subcellular compartments, but in such an intertwined way that suggests an early rather than late integration of both gene repertoires. The archaebacterial repertoire has a similar size in all eukaryotic genomes whereas the number of eubacterium-derived genes is much more variable, suggesting a higher plasticity of this gene repertoire. Consequently, highly reduced eukaryotic genomes contain more genes of archaebacterial than eubacterial affinity. Connected componentswith prokaryotic and eukaryotic genes tend to include viral and plasmid genes, compatible with a role of gene mobility in the origin of Eukaryotes. Our analyses highlight the power of network approaches to study deep evolutionary events.
ISSN: 0027-8424

hal-01544798
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544798
DOI : 10.1073/pnas.1211371110

Éditeur(s) : American society for microbiology
Résumé : Vibrio nigripulchritudo, the etiological agent of Litopenaeus stylirostris summer syndrome, is responsible for mass mortalities of shrimp in New Caledonia. Epidemiological studies led to the suggestion that this disease is caused by an emergent group of pathogenic strains. Genomic subtractive hybridization was carried out between two isolates exhibiting low and high virulence. Our subtraction library was constituted of 521 specific fragments; 55 of these were detected in all virulent isolates from our collection (n = 32), and 13 were detected only in the isolates demonstrating the highest pathogenicity (n = 19), suggesting that they could be used as genetic markers for high virulence capacity. Interestingly, 10 of these markers are carried by a replicon of 11.2 kbp that contains sequences highly similar to those of a plasmid detected in Vibrio shilonii, a coral pathogen. The detection of this plasmid was correlated with the highest pathogenicity status of the isolates from our collection. The origin and consequence of this plasmid acquisition are discussed.
Applied and environmental microbiology (depuis 1953) (0099-2240) (American society for microbiology), 2008-05 , Vol. 74 , N. 10 , P. 3038-3047

Droits : 2008 American Society for Microbiology
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/publication-4523.pdf
DOI:10.1128/AEM.02680-07
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/4523/

Éditeur(s) : Nature Publishing Group
Résumé : Vibrio nigripulchritudo is an emerging pathogen of farmed shrimp in New Caledonia and other regions in the Indo-Pacific. The molecular determinants of V. nigripulchritudo pathogenicity are unknown; however, molecular epidemiological studies have suggested that pathogenicity is linked to particular lineages. Here, we performed high-throughput sequencing-based comparative genome analysis of 16 V. nigripulchritudo strains to explore the genomic diversity and evolutionary history of pathogen-containing lineages and to identify pathogen-specific genetic elements. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed three pathogen-containing V. nigripulchritudo clades, including two clades previously identified from New Caledonia and one novel clade comprising putatively pathogenic isolates from septicemic shrimp in Madagascar. The similar genetic distance between the three clades indicates that they have diverged from an ancestral population roughly at the same time and recombination analysis indicates that these genomes have, in the past, shared a common gene pool and exchanged genes. As each contemporary lineage is comprised of nearly identical strains, comparative genomics allowed differentiation of genetic elements specific to shrimp pathogenesis of varying severity. Notably, only a large plasmid present in all highly pathogenic (HP) strains encodes a toxin. Although less/non-pathogenic strains contain related plasmids, these are differentiated by a putative toxin locus. Expression of this gene by a non-pathogenic V. nigripulchritudo strain resulted in production of toxic culture supernatant, normally an exclusive feature of HP strains. Thus, this protein, here termed 'nigritoxin', is implicated to an extent that remains to be precisely determined in the toxicity of V. nigripulchritudo.
Isme Journal (1751-7362) (Nature Publishing Group), 2013-10 , Vol. 7 , N. 10 , P. 1985-1996

Droits : 2013 International Society for Microbial Ecology All rights reserved 1751-7362/13
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00160/27117/28369.pdf
DOI:10.1038/ismej.2013.90
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00160/27117/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Mitochondrial DNA integrity is ensured by several nuclear-encoded proteins in vertebrates, and a number of mtDNA alterations in human diseases, including deletions and duplications, have been suspected to result from errors in the mitochondrial recombination pathway. However, the presence of the latter system is still a matter of controversy as RecA proteins display various functions in vitro. In Escherichia coli, RecA plays a central role in homologous recombination by pairing and transferring a single strand to a homologous duplex DNA. To address indirectly the issue of a mitochondrial recombination pathway in vivo, we have constructed a chimeric gene containing an N terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence and the E. coli RecA gene. Cells were transfected by the recombinant plasmid, then tested for their mtDNA repair upon bleomycin treatment. We found an increased repair rate of the mitochondrial DNA in cells expressing RecA as compared to control cells. These results indicate that the transfected cells display an improved mtDNA repair replication pathway due to the exogenous RecA, likely in synergy with an endogenous rate-limiting mitochondrial recombination pathway.
ISSN: 0027-5107

hal-01680533
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01680533
PUBMED : 11356332

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD HUMANA PRESS INC
Résumé : International audience
Ever since Darwin, the familiar genealogical pattern known as the Tree of Life (TOL) has been prominent in evolutionary thinking and has dominated not only systematics, but also the analysis of the units of evolution. However, recent findings indicate that the evolution of DNA, especially in prokaryotes and such DNA vehicles as viruses and plasmids, does not follow a unique tree-like pattern. Because evolutionary patterns track a greater range of processes than those captured in genealogies, genealogical patterns are in fact only a subset of a broader set of evolutionary patterns. This fact suggests that evolutionists who focus exclusively on genealogical patterns are blocked from providing a significant range of genuine evolutionary explanations. Consequently, we highlight challenges to tree-based approaches, and point the way toward more appropriate methods to study evolution (although we do not present them in technical detail). We argue that there is significant benefit in adopting wider range of models, evolutionary representations, and evolutionary explanations, based on an analysis of the full range of evolutionary processes. We introduce an ecosystem orientation into evolutionary thinking that highlights the importance of ``type 1 coalitions'' (functionally related units with genetic exchanges, aka ``friends with genetic benefits''), ``type 2 coalitions'' (functionally related units without genetic exchanges), ``communal interactions,'' and ``emergent evolutionary properties.'' On this basis, we seek to promote the study of (especially prokaryotic) evolution with dynamic evolutionary networks, which are less constrained than the TOL, and to provide new ways to analyze an expanded range of evolutionary units (genetic modules, recombined genes, plasmids, phages and prokaryotic genomes, pangenomes, microbial communities) and evolutionary processes. Finally, we discuss some of the conceptual and practical questions raised by such network-based representation.
EVOLUTIONARY GENOMICS: STATISTICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL METHODS, VOL 2

ISBN : 978-1-61779-584-8
hal-01544801
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544801
DOI : 10.1007/978-1-61779-585-5_4

Éditeur(s) : Colloque IMBC - International Marine Biotechnology Conference
Résumé : Since 1997, a new pathology seasonally occurs in new caledonian shrimp farms during the warm season. Diseased Litopenaeus stylirostris shrimp suffer from a systemic vibriosis which was attributed to highly pathogenic Vibrio nigripulchritudo. At the present time, only two farms among 17 are affected by the so called "summer syndrome". In such a context it appears urgent to develop reliable diagnostic tools to detect V. nigripulchritudo strains and to differentiate highly virulent strains from non virulent ones in order to understand the mechanisms of infection and overcome disease spreading. Multilocus Sequencing Typing (MLST) analysis on 24 bacterial strains isolated in geographically distinct shrimp farms highlighted the existence of a cluster A containing only strains displaying moderate to high virulence. Since experimental infection procedure for virulence status determination is material intensive and time consuming, and MLST method not accurate enough to inform on the virulence status of strains, it appeared of great interest to develop other diagnostic tools. Two phylogenetically closed strains, one highly virulent SFn1 and the other non-virulent SFn118 were selected in order to characterize genes specific of the virulent strain by Substractive Suppression Hybridization (SSH). Firstly, a total of 622 DNA fragments specific of SFn1 were sequenced, characterized and further used as probes in a DNA macroarray. Testing 24 strains, hybridization profiles were found to be strongly correlated with both MLST genotypes and bacterial virulence status. A total of 96 representative probes were secondly selected to validate macroarray results on 34 more additionnal strains, allowing identification of genetic markers of virulence. Most of DNA fragments specific of highly virulent strains associated to summer syndrome were found to be bore by a plasmid successfully isolated in the laboratory. In next future, these results would permit the development of relevant diagnostic tools useful for accurate epidemiological survey of the summer syndrome.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2007/acte-3398.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/3398/

Éditeur(s) : Academic Press Ltd- Elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : Extracellular products (ECPs) of the pathogenic Vibrio aestuarianus 01/32 were previously reported to display lethality in Crassostrea gigas oysters and to cause morphological changes and immunosuppression in oyster hemocytes. To identify the source of this toxicity, biochemical and genetic approaches were developed. ECP protease activity and lethality were shown to be significantly reduced following incubation with metal chelators, suggesting the involvement of a zinc metalloprotease. An open reading frame of 1836 bp encoding a 611-aa metalloprotease (designated yam) was identified. The deduced protein sequence showed high homology to other Vibrio metalloproteases reported to be involved in pathogenicity. To further confirm the role of this enzyme in ECP toxicity, a plasmid carrying the yarn gene under the control of an araC-P-BAD expression cassette was transferred to a Vibrio splendidus related strain, LMC20012(T), previously characterized as non-pathogenic to oysters. Expression of Vam conferred a toxic phenotype to LMG20012(T) ECPs in vivo and cytotoxicity to oyster hemocytes in vitro. Collectively, these data suggest that the Vam metalloprotease is a major contributor to the toxicity induced by V aestuarianus ECPs and is involved in the impairment of oyster hemocyte functions. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Fish & Shellfish Immunology (1050-4648) (Academic Press Ltd- Elsevier Science Ltd), 2010-11 , Vol. 29 , N. 5 , P. 753-758

Droits : 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00015/12649/9588.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.fsi.2010.07.007
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00015/12649/