RESUMO
Light affects almost every aspect of plant development. It is perceived by photoreceptors, among which phytochromes (PHY) are responsible for monitoring the red and far-red spectrum. Arabidopsis thaliana possesses five phytochrome genes (phyA-E). Whereas functions of phyA and phyB are extensively studied, our knowledge on other phytochromes is still rudimentary. To analyze phyD function we expressed it at high levels in different phytochrome-deficient genetic backgrounds. Overexpressed phyD-YFP can govern effective light signaling but only at low temperature and in cooperation with functional phyC. Under these conditions, phyD-YFP accumulates to high levels and opposite to phyB, this pool is stable in light. By comparing the photoconvertible phyD-YFP and phyB levels and their signaling in continuous and pulsed irradiation, we showed that phyD-YFP is a less efficient photoreceptor than phyB. This conclusion is supported by the facts that only a part of the phyD-YFP pool is photoconvertible and thermal reversion of phyD-YFP is faster than that of phyB. Our data suggest that the temperature-dependent function of phyD is based on the amount of phyD protein and not on its Pfr stability, as described for phyB. We also found that phyD-YFP and phyB-GFP associate with strongly overlapping genomic locations and mediate similar changes in gene expression, however the efficiency of phyD-YFP is lower. Based on these data we propose that under certain conditions, synergistic interaction of phyD and phyC can substitute phyB function in seedlings and in adult plants, thus increases the ability of plants to respond more flexibly to environmental changes.
RESUMO
Cellular metabolism evolves through changes in the structure and quantitative states of metabolic networks. Here, we explore the evolutionary dynamics of metabolic states by focusing on the collection of metabolite levels, the metabolome, which captures key aspects of cellular physiology. Using a phylogenetic framework, we profiled metabolites in 27 populations of nine budding yeast species, providing a graduated view of metabolic variation across multiple evolutionary time scales. Metabolite levels evolve more rapidly and independently of changes in the metabolic network's structure, providing complementary information to enzyme repertoire. Although metabolome variation accumulates mainly gradually over time, it is profoundly affected by domestication. We found pervasive signatures of convergent evolution in the metabolomes of independently domesticated clades of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Such recurring metabolite differences between wild and domesticated populations affect a substantial part of the metabolome, including rewiring of the TCA cycle and several amino acids that influence aroma production, likely reflecting adaptation to human niches. Overall, our work reveals previously unrecognized diversity in central metabolism and the pervasive influence of human-driven selection on metabolite levels in yeasts.
Assuntos
Domesticação , Saccharomycetales , Humanos , Filogenia , Saccharomycetales/genética , Metaboloma , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genéticaRESUMO
Organisms have evolved a circadian clock for the precise timing of their biological processes. Studies primarily on model dicots have shown the complexity of the inner timekeeper responsible for maintaining circadian oscillation in plants and have highlighted that circadian regulation is more than relevant to a wide range of biological processes, especially organ development and timing of flowering. Contribution of the circadian clock to overall plant fitness and yield has also long been known. Nevertheless, the organ- and species-specific functions of the circadian clock and its relation to stress adaptation have only recently been identified. Here we report transcriptional changes of core clock genes of the model monocot Brachypodium distachyon under three different light regimes (18:6 light:dark, 24:0 light and 0:24 dark) in response to mild drought stress in roots and green plant parts. Comparative monitoring of core clock gene expression in roots and green plant parts has shown that both phase and amplitude of expression in the roots of Brachypodium plants differ markedly from those in the green plant parts, even under well-watered conditions. Moreover, circadian clock genes responded to water depletion differently in root and shoot. These results suggest an organ-specific form and functions of the circadian clock in Brachypodium roots.
Assuntos
Brachypodium , Relógios Circadianos , Relógios Circadianos/fisiologia , Brachypodium/genética , Desidratação , Regulação da Expressão Gênica de Plantas , Especificidade da Espécie , Ritmo Circadiano/fisiologiaRESUMO
Bacterial evolution of antibiotic resistance frequently has deleterious side effects on microbial growth, virulence, and susceptibility to other antimicrobial agents. However, it is unclear how these trade-offs could be utilized for manipulating antibiotic resistance in the clinic, not least because the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Using laboratory evolution, we demonstrate that clinically relevant resistance mutations in Escherichia coli constitutively rewire a large fraction of the transcriptome in a repeatable and stereotypic manner. Strikingly, lineages adapted to functionally distinct antibiotics and having no resistance mutations in common show a wide range of parallel gene expression changes that alter oxidative stress response, iron homeostasis, and the composition of the bacterial outer membrane and cell surface. These common physiological alterations are associated with changes in cell morphology and enhanced sensitivity to antimicrobial peptides. Finally, the constitutive transcriptomic changes induced by resistance mutations are largely distinct from those induced by antibiotic stresses in the wild type. This indicates a limited role for genetic assimilation of the induced antibiotic stress response during resistance evolution. Our work suggests that diverse resistance mutations converge on similar global transcriptomic states that shape genetic susceptibility to antimicrobial compounds.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos , Transcriptoma , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Resistência Microbiana a Medicamentos/genética , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Bactérias/genética , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana/genéticaRESUMO
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising antimicrobials, however, the potential of bacterial resistance is a major concern. Here we systematically study the evolution of resistance to 14 chemically diverse AMPs and 12 antibiotics in Escherichia coli. Our work indicates that evolution of resistance against certain AMPs, such as tachyplesin II and cecropin P1, is limited. Resistance level provided by point mutations and gene amplification is very low and antibiotic-resistant bacteria display no cross-resistance to these AMPs. Moreover, genomic fragments derived from a wide range of soil bacteria confer no detectable resistance against these AMPs when introduced into native host bacteria on plasmids. We have found that simple physicochemical features dictate bacterial propensity to evolve resistance against AMPs. Our work could serve as a promising source for the development of new AMP-based therapeutics less prone to resistance, a feature necessary to avoid any possible interference with our innate immune system.
Assuntos
Anti-Infecciosos/farmacologia , Peptídeos Catiônicos Antimicrobianos/farmacologia , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana Múltipla/genética , Genoma Bacteriano/efeitos dos fármacos , Peptídeos Catiônicos Antimicrobianos/uso terapêutico , Bactérias/efeitos dos fármacos , Bactérias/genética , Infecções Bacterianas/tratamento farmacológico , Evolução Molecular Direcionada , Desenvolvimento de Medicamentos/métodos , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana Múltipla/efeitos dos fármacos , Genoma Bacteriano/genética , Humanos , Metagenômica , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Plasmídeos/genética , Mutação Puntual , Microbiologia do SoloRESUMO
Antibiotic resistance typically induces a fitness cost that shapes the fate of antibiotic-resistant bacterial populations. However, the cost of resistance can be mitigated by compensatory mutations elsewhere in the genome, and therefore the loss of resistance may proceed too slowly to be of practical importance. We present our study on the efficacy and phenotypic impact of compensatory evolution in Escherichia coli strains carrying multiple resistance mutations. We have demonstrated that drug-resistance frequently declines within 480 generations during exposure to an antibiotic-free environment. The extent of resistance loss was found to be generally antibiotic-specific, driven by mutations that reduce both resistance level and fitness costs of antibiotic-resistance mutations. We conclude that phenotypic reversion to the antibiotic-sensitive state can be mediated by the acquisition of additional mutations, while maintaining the original resistance mutations. Our study indicates that restricting antimicrobial usage could be a useful policy, but for certain antibiotics only.
Assuntos
Adaptação Biológica , Antibacterianos/metabolismo , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana , Escherichia coli/efeitos dos fármacos , Escherichia coli/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Genótipo , Fenótipo , Meios de Cultura/química , Escherichia coli/genética , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
Multitargeting antibiotics, i.e., single compounds capable of inhibiting two or more bacterial targets, are generally considered to be a promising therapeutic strategy against resistance evolution. The rationale for this theory is that multitargeting antibiotics demand the simultaneous acquisition of multiple mutations at their respective target genes to achieve significant resistance. The theory presumes that individual mutations provide little or no benefit to the bacterial host. Here, we propose that such individual stepping-stone mutations can be prevalent in clinical bacterial isolates, as they provide significant resistance to other antimicrobial agents. To test this possibility, we focused on gepotidacin, an antibiotic candidate that selectively inhibits both bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. In a susceptible organism, Klebsiella pneumoniae, a combination of two specific mutations in these target proteins provide an >2,000-fold reduction in susceptibility, while individually, none of these mutations affect resistance significantly. Alarmingly, strains with decreased susceptibility against gepotidacin are found to be as virulent as the wild-type Klebsiella pneumoniae strain in a murine model. Moreover, numerous pathogenic isolates carry mutations which could promote the evolution of clinically significant reduction of susceptibility against gepotidacin in the future. As might be expected, prolonged exposure to ciprofloxacin, a clinically widely employed gyrase inhibitor, coselected for reduced susceptibility against gepotidacin. We conclude that extensive antibiotic usage could select for mutations that serve as stepping-stones toward resistance against antimicrobial compounds still under development. Our research indicates that even balanced multitargeting antibiotics are prone to resistance evolution.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana/efeitos dos fármacos , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana/genética , Klebsiella pneumoniae/efeitos dos fármacos , Mutação , Acenaftenos/química , Acenaftenos/farmacologia , Animais , Proteínas de Bactérias/química , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Proteínas de Bactérias/metabolismo , Ciprofloxacina/farmacologia , DNA Girase/química , DNA Girase/genética , DNA Girase/metabolismo , Evolução Molecular Direcionada , Escherichia coli/efeitos dos fármacos , Escherichia coli/genética , Fluoroquinolonas/farmacologia , Aptidão Genética , Compostos Heterocíclicos com 3 Anéis/química , Compostos Heterocíclicos com 3 Anéis/farmacologia , Infecções por Klebsiella/microbiologia , Klebsiella pneumoniae/genética , Klebsiella pneumoniae/patogenicidade , Camundongos , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Simulação de Dinâmica Molecular , Virulência/genéticaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The formation of matured and individual sperm involves a series of molecular and spectacular morphological changes of the developing cysts in Drosophila melanogaster testis. Recent advances in RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology help us to understand the complexity of eukaryotic transcriptomes by dissecting different tissues and developmental stages of organisms. To gain a better understanding of cellular differentiation of spermatogenesis, we applied RNA-Seq to analyse the testis-specific transcriptome, including coding and non-coding genes. RESULTS: We isolated three different parts of the wild-type testis by dissecting and cutting the different regions: 1.) the apical region, which contains stem cells and developing spermatocytes 2.) the middle region, with enrichment of meiotic cysts 3.) the basal region, which contains elongated post-meiotic cysts with spermatids. Total RNA was isolated from each region and analysed by next-generation sequencing. We collected data from the annotated 17412 Drosophila genes and identified 5381 genes with significant transcript accumulation differences between the regions, representing the main stages of spermatogenesis. We demonstrated for the first time the presence and region specific distribution of 2061 lncRNAs in testis, with 203 significant differences. Using the available modENCODE RNA-Seq data, we determined the tissue specificity indices of Drosophila genes. Combining the indices with our results, we identified genes with region-specific enrichment in testis. CONCLUSION: By multiple analyses of our results and integrating existing knowledge about Drosophila melanogaster spermatogenesis to our dataset, we were able to describe transcript composition of different regions of Drosophila testis, including several stage-specific transcripts. We present searchable visualizations that can facilitate the identification of new components that play role in the organisation and composition of different stages of spermatogenesis, including the less known, but complex regulation of post-meiotic stages.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Transcriptoma , Animais , Proteínas do Citoesqueleto/genética , Proteínas do Citoesqueleto/metabolismo , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/enzimologia , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Ontologia Genética , Proteínas de Choque Térmico/metabolismo , Masculino , Redes e Vias Metabólicas/genética , Complexo de Endopeptidases do Proteassoma/metabolismo , RNA Longo não Codificante/metabolismo , Análise de Sequência de RNA , Testículo/enzimologia , Testículo/metabolismo , Ubiquitina/metabolismoRESUMO
Antimicrobial peptides are promising alternative antimicrobial agents. However, little is known about whether resistance to small-molecule antibiotics leads to cross-resistance (decreased sensitivity) or collateral sensitivity (increased sensitivity) to antimicrobial peptides. We systematically addressed this question by studying the susceptibilities of a comprehensive set of 60 antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli strains towards 24 antimicrobial peptides. Strikingly, antibiotic-resistant bacteria show a high frequency of collateral sensitivity to antimicrobial peptides, whereas cross-resistance is relatively rare. We identify clinically relevant multidrug-resistance mutations that increase bacterial sensitivity to antimicrobial peptides. Collateral sensitivity in multidrug-resistant bacteria arises partly through regulatory changes shaping the lipopolysaccharide composition of the bacterial outer membrane. These advances allow the identification of antimicrobial peptide-antibiotic combinations that enhance antibiotic activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria and slow down de novo evolution of resistance. In particular, when co-administered as an adjuvant, the antimicrobial peptide glycine-leucine-amide caused up to 30-fold decrease in the antibiotic resistance level of resistant bacteria. Our work provides guidelines for the development of efficient peptide-based therapies of antibiotic-resistant infections.