Transcriptome analysis of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar Equi in two conditions of the environmental stress.

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis has been widely studied in an effort to understand its biological evolution. Transcriptomics has revealed possible candidates for virulence and pathogenicity factors of strain 1002 (biovar Ovis). Because C. pseudotuberculosis is classified into two biovars, Ovis and Equi, it was interesting to assess the transcriptional profile of biovar Equi strain 258, the causative agent of ulcerative lymphangitis. The genome of this strain was re-sequenced; the reassembly was completed using optical mapping technology, and the sequence was subsequently re-annotated. Two growth conditions that occur during the host infection process were simulated for the transcriptome: the osmotic and acid medium. Genes that may be associated with the microorganism's resilience under unfavorable conditions were identified through RNAseq, including genes present in pathogenicity islands. The RT-qPCR was performed to confirm the results in biological triplicate for each condition for some genes. The results extend our knowledge of the factors associated with the spread and persistence of C. pseudotuberculosis during the infection process and suggest possible avenues for studies related to the development of vaccines, diagnosis, and therapies that might help minimize damage to agribusinesses.

Functional annotation of hypothetical proteins from the Exiguobacterium antarcticum strain B7 reveals proteins involved in adaptation to extreme environments, including high arsenic resistance.

Exiguobacterium antarcticum strain B7 is a psychrophilic Gram-positive bacterium that possesses enzymes that can be used for several biotechnological applications. However, many proteins from its genome are considered hypothetical proteins (HPs). These functionally unknown proteins may indicate important functions regarding the biological role of this bacterium, and the use of bioinformatics tools can assist in the biological understanding of this organism through functional annotation analysis. Thus, our study aimed to assign functions to proteins previously described as HPs, present in the genome of E. antarcticum B7. We used an extensive in silico workflow combining several bioinformatics tools for function annotation, sub-cellular localization and physicochemical characterization, three-dimensional structure determination, and protein-protein interactions. This genome contains 2772 genes, of which 765 CDS were annotated as HPs. The amino acid sequences of all HPs were submitted to our workflow and we successfully attributed function to 132 HPs. We identified 11 proteins that play important roles in the mechanisms of adaptation to adverse environments, such as flagellar biosynthesis, biofilm formation, carotenoids biosynthesis, and others. In addition, three predicted HPs are possibly related to arsenic tolerance. Through an in vitro assay, we verified that E. antarcticum B7 can grow at high concentrations of this metal. The approach used was important to precisely assign function to proteins from diverse classes and to infer relationships with proteins with functions already described in the literature. This approach aims to produce a better understanding of the mechanism by which this bacterium adapts to extreme environments and to the finding of targets with biotechnological interest.

Heat shock stress: Profile of differential expression in Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar Equi.

Transcriptome studies on Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis have recently contributed to the understanding about this microorganism's survival mechanisms in various hostile conditions. The gene expression profile of the C. pseudotuberculosis strain 1002 (Ovis biovar), has revealed genes that are possible candidates responsible for its maintenance in adverse environments, such as those found in the host. In another strain of this bacterium, 258 (Equi biovar), a high temperature condition was simulated, in order to verify which genes are responsible for promoting the persistence of the bacterium in these conditions, since it tolerates temperatures higher than 40°C, despite being a mesophilic bacterium. It was possible to generate a list of genes using RNAseq technology that possibly contribute to the survival of the bacteria in this hostile environment. A total of 562 genes were considered as differentially expressed, then, after the fold-change cutoff, 113 were considered induced and 114 repressed, resulting in a total of 227 genes. Therefore, hypothetical proteins presented a fold change above 6, and genes characteristically in control for this type of stress, such as hspR, grpE, and dnaK, presented a fold change above 3. The clpB gene, a chaperone, drew attention due to presenting a fold change above 3 and located in a pathogenicity island. These genes may contribute towards efficient solutions to the effects caused by ulcerative lymphangitis in equines, thus attenuating the damage it causes to agribusiness.

Draft Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Strain PA05 Isolated from an Ovine Host in Pará State, Brazil.

We report here the draft genome sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis PA05, isolated from an ovine host in Pará State, Brazil. C. pseudotuberculosis is an etiological agent of diseases with veterinary and medical importance. The genome contains 2,435,137 bp, a G+C content of 52.2%, 2,295 coding sequences, five pseudogenes, 53 tRNAs, and six rRNAs.

Draft Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Strain PA06 Isolated from a Subauricular Abscess in an Ovine Host.

We report here the draft genome sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis PA06, isolated from a subauricular abscess in an ovine host. C. pseudotuberculosis is a worldwide pathogen of small and large ruminants. The genome comprises 2,320,074 bp, with a G+C content of 52.2%, 2,195 coding sequences, 48 tRNAs, and three rRNAs.

Draft Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Strain PA07 Biovar ovis, Isolated from a Sheep Udder in Amazonia.

In this work, we present the draft genome sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis strain PA07 biovar ovis, isolated from a caseous secretion from a sheep udder in Pará, Brazil. The genome contains 2,320,235 bp, 52.2% G+C content, 2,191 coding sequences (CDSs), five pseudogenes, 48 tRNAs, and three rRNAs.

Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Strain PA02 Isolated from an Ovine Host in the Amazon.

In this work, we report the complete genome sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis strain PA02 isolated from an ovine host. The genome contains 2,328,435 bp, a 52.2% G+C content, 2,035 coding sequences, 12 rRNA operons, 45 tRNAs, and 14 predicted pseudogenes.