ABSTRACTRecent advances and lower costs in rapid high-throughput sequencing have engendered hope ... more ABSTRACTRecent advances and lower costs in rapid high-throughput sequencing have engendered hope that whole genome sequencing (WGS) might afford complete resistome characterization in clinical bacterial isolates. Despite its potential, several challenges should be addressed before adopting WGS to detect antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in the clinical laboratory. Here, with three distinct ESKAPE bacteria, we compared different approaches to identify best practices for detection of AMR genes, including: total genomic DNA and plasmid DNA extractions, solo assembly of Illumina short-reads and of ONT long-reads, two hybrid assembly pipelines, and three in silico AMR databases. We also determined the susceptibility of each strain to 21 antimicrobials. We found that all AMR genes detected in pure plasmid DNA were also detectable in total genomic DNA indicating that, at least in these three enterobacterial genera, purification of plasmid DNA was not necessary to detect plasmid-borne AM...
The compounds of mercury can be highly toxic and can interfere with a range of biological process... more The compounds of mercury can be highly toxic and can interfere with a range of biological processes, although many aspects of the mechanism of toxicity are still obscure or unknown. One especially intriguing property of Hg(II) is its ability to bind DNA directly, making interstrand cross-links between thymine nucleobases in AT-rich sequences. We have used a combination of small molecule X-ray diffraction, X-ray spectroscopies, and computational chemistry to study the interactions of Hg(II) with thymine. We find that the energetically preferred mode of thymine binding in DNA is to the N3 and predict only minor distortions of the DNA structure on binding one Hg(II) to two cross-adjacent thymine nucleotides. The preferred geometry is predicted to be twisted away from coplanar through a torsion angle of between 32 and 43°. Using 1-methylthymine as a model, the bis-thymine coordination of Hg(II) is found to give a highly characteristic X-ray spectroscopic signature that is quite distinct from other previously described biological modes of binding of Hg(II). This work enlarges and deepens our view of significant biological targets of Hg(II) and demonstrates tools that can provide a characteristic signature for the binding of Hg(II) to DNA in more complex matrices including intact cells and tissues, laying the foundation for future studies of mechanisms of mercury toxicity.
Journal of biological inorganic chemistry : JBIC : a publication of the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, Jan 26, 2015
The protean chemical properties of the toxic metal mercury (Hg) have made it attractive in divers... more The protean chemical properties of the toxic metal mercury (Hg) have made it attractive in diverse applications since antiquity. However, growing public concern has led to an international agreement to decrease its impact on health and the environment. During a recent proteomics study of acute Hg exposure in E. coli, we also examined the effects of inorganic and organic Hg compounds on thiol and metal homeostases. On brief exposure, lower concentrations of divalent inorganic mercury Hg(II) blocked bulk cellular thiols and protein-associated thiols more completely than higher concentrations of monovalent organomercurials, phenylmercuric acetate (PMA) and merthiolate (MT). Cells bound Hg(II) and PMA in excess of their available thiol ligands; X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated nitrogens as likely additional ligands. The mercurials released protein-bound iron (Fe) more effectively than common organic oxidants and all disturbed the Na(+)/K(+) electrolyte balance, but none provoked ...
The DNA sequence has been determined for a 3.8-kb region which encodes the mercury-resistance (me... more The DNA sequence has been determined for a 3.8-kb region which encodes the mercury-resistance (mer) operon of the IncFII plasmid NR1. The sequence reveals 4 open reading frames which could encode proteins of 12,522, 9,429, 14,965, and 58,912 d corresponding to the 4 previously described Hg-inducible proteins detected in minicells carrying mer+ plasmids. The Hg(II) reductase protein sequence is about 90% homologous to that of Tn501, but the DNA sequence shows a homology of 60-70% to that of Tn501 except for short regions of very high homology. The entire mer region is 63.4% G-C overall. The region encoding the merR (positive regulatory) function has 3 possible open reading frames, 2 of which overlap in one direction and the third of which reads in the opposite direction. Attempts to visualize the polypeptide(s) encoded by the merR cistron were unsuccessful.
Methylmercury is an environmental toxicant that biomagnifies and causes severe neurological degen... more Methylmercury is an environmental toxicant that biomagnifies and causes severe neurological degenera- tion in animals. It is produced by bacteria in soils and sediments that have been contaminated with mercury. To explore the potential of plants to extract and detoxify this chemical, we engineered a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, to express a modified bacterial gene, merBpe, encoding organo- mercurial lyase
Bacteria participate significantly in mercury transformation in natural and industrial environmen... more Bacteria participate significantly in mercury transformation in natural and industrial environments. Previous studies have shown that bacterial mercury resistance is mediated by the mer operon, typically located on transposons or plasmids. It encodes specific genes that facilitate uptake of mercury species, cleavage of organomercurials, and reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0). Expression of mer operon genes is regulated by MerR, a
Bacteria participate significantly in mercury transformation in natural and industrial environmen... more Bacteria participate significantly in mercury transformation in natural and industrial environments. Previous studies have shown that bacterial mercury resistance is mediated by the mer operon, typically located on transposons or plasmids. It encodes specific genes that facilitate uptake of mercury species, cleavage of organomercurials, and reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0). Expression of mer operon genes is regulated by MerR, a metal-responsive regulator protein on the level of transcription. In vitro studies have shown that MerR forms a non-transcribing pre-initiation complex with RNA polymerase and the promoter DNA. Binding of Hg(II) induces conformational changes in MerR and other components of the complex resulting in the transcription of mer operon genes. As part of ongoing investigations on allosteric conformational changes induced by Hg(II) in dimeric MerR, and the implications on the binding of RNA polymerase to the promoter of the mer operon, we applied small angle scattering to study the regulatory mechanism of MerR in the presence and absence of Hg(II). Our results show that in the presence of Hg(II) the MerR dimer undergoes a significant reorientation from a compact state to a conformation revealing two distinct domains. Bacterial reduction of Hg(II) can also occur at concentrations too low to induce mer operon functions. Dissimilatory metal reducing bacteria, such as Shewanella and Geobacter are able to reduce Hg(II) in the presence of mineral oxides. This process has been linked to the activity of outer membrane multiheme cytochromes. We isolated and purified a decaheme outer membrane cytochrome OmcA from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and characterized its envelope shape in solution by small angle x-ray scattering. Structural features were identified and compared to homology models. These results show that OmcA is an elongated macromolecule consisting of separate modules, which may be connected by flexible linkers.
Aerobic bacteria exhibiting resistance to the toxic effects of Hg(II) and organomercurials [RHg(I... more Aerobic bacteria exhibiting resistance to the toxic effects of Hg(II) and organomercurials [RHg(I), e.g. MeHg(I)] and are widely found in both pristine and mercury contaminated environments. Resistance, afforded by a plasmid- or transposon-associated mer operon, involves an unusual pathway where Hg(II) and organomercurials [RHg(I)] undergo facilitated entry into the bacterial cytoplasm via an integral membrane transport protein (MerT) and are then "detoxified" by the concerted effort of two enzymes, organomercurial lyase (MerB), which catalyzes dealkylation (i.e., demethylation) of RHg(I) to Hg(II) and a hydrocarbon, and mercuric ion reductase (MerA), which catalyzes reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0) as the ultimate detoxification for the organism. With a widespread distribution, these bacterial transformations play a significant role in the fate of mercury in the environment. Our focus is on elucidation of the molecular mechanisms for the transport and catalytic transformations of RHg(I) and Hg(II) by these proteins and the factors that influence the overall efficiency of the process. Current efforts are focused primarily on elucidating details of RHg(I) binding and dealkylation by MerB as well as the mechanism for transfer of the Hg(II) product to MerA. Key findings include the demonstration of a non-cysteine residue as essential for the catalytic activity and demonstration that direct transfer of Hg(II) to MerA proceeds more rapidly and more completely than transfer to small MW thiols such as cysteines or glutathione. Reuslts of these studies as well as an overview of our current understanding of the whole system will be presented.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 10495390600957217, Feb 17, 2007
Bacteria carrying resistance genes for many antibiotics are moving beyond the clinic into the com... more Bacteria carrying resistance genes for many antibiotics are moving beyond the clinic into the community, infecting otherwise healthy people with untreatable and frequently fatal infections. This state of affairs makes it increasingly important that we understand the sources of this problem in terms of bacterial biology and ecology and also that we find some new targets for drugs that will help control this growing epidemic. This brief and eclectic review takes the perspective that we have too long thought about the problem in terms of treatment with or resistance to a single antibiotic at a time, assuming that dissemination of the resistance gene was affected by simple vertical inheritance. In reality antibiotic resistance genes are readily transferred horizontally, even to and from distantly related bacteria. The common agents of bacterial gene transfer are described and also one of the processes whereby nonantibiotic chemicals, specifically toxic metals, in the environment can select for and enrich bacteria with antibiotic multiresistance. Lastly, some speculation is offered on broadening our perspective on this problem to include drugs directed at compromising the ability of the mobile elements themselves to replicate, transfer, and recombine, that is, the three "infrastructure" processes central to the movement of genes among bacteria.
ABSTRACTRecent advances and lower costs in rapid high-throughput sequencing have engendered hope ... more ABSTRACTRecent advances and lower costs in rapid high-throughput sequencing have engendered hope that whole genome sequencing (WGS) might afford complete resistome characterization in clinical bacterial isolates. Despite its potential, several challenges should be addressed before adopting WGS to detect antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in the clinical laboratory. Here, with three distinct ESKAPE bacteria, we compared different approaches to identify best practices for detection of AMR genes, including: total genomic DNA and plasmid DNA extractions, solo assembly of Illumina short-reads and of ONT long-reads, two hybrid assembly pipelines, and three in silico AMR databases. We also determined the susceptibility of each strain to 21 antimicrobials. We found that all AMR genes detected in pure plasmid DNA were also detectable in total genomic DNA indicating that, at least in these three enterobacterial genera, purification of plasmid DNA was not necessary to detect plasmid-borne AM...
The compounds of mercury can be highly toxic and can interfere with a range of biological process... more The compounds of mercury can be highly toxic and can interfere with a range of biological processes, although many aspects of the mechanism of toxicity are still obscure or unknown. One especially intriguing property of Hg(II) is its ability to bind DNA directly, making interstrand cross-links between thymine nucleobases in AT-rich sequences. We have used a combination of small molecule X-ray diffraction, X-ray spectroscopies, and computational chemistry to study the interactions of Hg(II) with thymine. We find that the energetically preferred mode of thymine binding in DNA is to the N3 and predict only minor distortions of the DNA structure on binding one Hg(II) to two cross-adjacent thymine nucleotides. The preferred geometry is predicted to be twisted away from coplanar through a torsion angle of between 32 and 43°. Using 1-methylthymine as a model, the bis-thymine coordination of Hg(II) is found to give a highly characteristic X-ray spectroscopic signature that is quite distinct from other previously described biological modes of binding of Hg(II). This work enlarges and deepens our view of significant biological targets of Hg(II) and demonstrates tools that can provide a characteristic signature for the binding of Hg(II) to DNA in more complex matrices including intact cells and tissues, laying the foundation for future studies of mechanisms of mercury toxicity.
Journal of biological inorganic chemistry : JBIC : a publication of the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, Jan 26, 2015
The protean chemical properties of the toxic metal mercury (Hg) have made it attractive in divers... more The protean chemical properties of the toxic metal mercury (Hg) have made it attractive in diverse applications since antiquity. However, growing public concern has led to an international agreement to decrease its impact on health and the environment. During a recent proteomics study of acute Hg exposure in E. coli, we also examined the effects of inorganic and organic Hg compounds on thiol and metal homeostases. On brief exposure, lower concentrations of divalent inorganic mercury Hg(II) blocked bulk cellular thiols and protein-associated thiols more completely than higher concentrations of monovalent organomercurials, phenylmercuric acetate (PMA) and merthiolate (MT). Cells bound Hg(II) and PMA in excess of their available thiol ligands; X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated nitrogens as likely additional ligands. The mercurials released protein-bound iron (Fe) more effectively than common organic oxidants and all disturbed the Na(+)/K(+) electrolyte balance, but none provoked ...
The DNA sequence has been determined for a 3.8-kb region which encodes the mercury-resistance (me... more The DNA sequence has been determined for a 3.8-kb region which encodes the mercury-resistance (mer) operon of the IncFII plasmid NR1. The sequence reveals 4 open reading frames which could encode proteins of 12,522, 9,429, 14,965, and 58,912 d corresponding to the 4 previously described Hg-inducible proteins detected in minicells carrying mer+ plasmids. The Hg(II) reductase protein sequence is about 90% homologous to that of Tn501, but the DNA sequence shows a homology of 60-70% to that of Tn501 except for short regions of very high homology. The entire mer region is 63.4% G-C overall. The region encoding the merR (positive regulatory) function has 3 possible open reading frames, 2 of which overlap in one direction and the third of which reads in the opposite direction. Attempts to visualize the polypeptide(s) encoded by the merR cistron were unsuccessful.
Methylmercury is an environmental toxicant that biomagnifies and causes severe neurological degen... more Methylmercury is an environmental toxicant that biomagnifies and causes severe neurological degenera- tion in animals. It is produced by bacteria in soils and sediments that have been contaminated with mercury. To explore the potential of plants to extract and detoxify this chemical, we engineered a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, to express a modified bacterial gene, merBpe, encoding organo- mercurial lyase
Bacteria participate significantly in mercury transformation in natural and industrial environmen... more Bacteria participate significantly in mercury transformation in natural and industrial environments. Previous studies have shown that bacterial mercury resistance is mediated by the mer operon, typically located on transposons or plasmids. It encodes specific genes that facilitate uptake of mercury species, cleavage of organomercurials, and reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0). Expression of mer operon genes is regulated by MerR, a
Bacteria participate significantly in mercury transformation in natural and industrial environmen... more Bacteria participate significantly in mercury transformation in natural and industrial environments. Previous studies have shown that bacterial mercury resistance is mediated by the mer operon, typically located on transposons or plasmids. It encodes specific genes that facilitate uptake of mercury species, cleavage of organomercurials, and reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0). Expression of mer operon genes is regulated by MerR, a metal-responsive regulator protein on the level of transcription. In vitro studies have shown that MerR forms a non-transcribing pre-initiation complex with RNA polymerase and the promoter DNA. Binding of Hg(II) induces conformational changes in MerR and other components of the complex resulting in the transcription of mer operon genes. As part of ongoing investigations on allosteric conformational changes induced by Hg(II) in dimeric MerR, and the implications on the binding of RNA polymerase to the promoter of the mer operon, we applied small angle scattering to study the regulatory mechanism of MerR in the presence and absence of Hg(II). Our results show that in the presence of Hg(II) the MerR dimer undergoes a significant reorientation from a compact state to a conformation revealing two distinct domains. Bacterial reduction of Hg(II) can also occur at concentrations too low to induce mer operon functions. Dissimilatory metal reducing bacteria, such as Shewanella and Geobacter are able to reduce Hg(II) in the presence of mineral oxides. This process has been linked to the activity of outer membrane multiheme cytochromes. We isolated and purified a decaheme outer membrane cytochrome OmcA from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and characterized its envelope shape in solution by small angle x-ray scattering. Structural features were identified and compared to homology models. These results show that OmcA is an elongated macromolecule consisting of separate modules, which may be connected by flexible linkers.
Aerobic bacteria exhibiting resistance to the toxic effects of Hg(II) and organomercurials [RHg(I... more Aerobic bacteria exhibiting resistance to the toxic effects of Hg(II) and organomercurials [RHg(I), e.g. MeHg(I)] and are widely found in both pristine and mercury contaminated environments. Resistance, afforded by a plasmid- or transposon-associated mer operon, involves an unusual pathway where Hg(II) and organomercurials [RHg(I)] undergo facilitated entry into the bacterial cytoplasm via an integral membrane transport protein (MerT) and are then "detoxified" by the concerted effort of two enzymes, organomercurial lyase (MerB), which catalyzes dealkylation (i.e., demethylation) of RHg(I) to Hg(II) and a hydrocarbon, and mercuric ion reductase (MerA), which catalyzes reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0) as the ultimate detoxification for the organism. With a widespread distribution, these bacterial transformations play a significant role in the fate of mercury in the environment. Our focus is on elucidation of the molecular mechanisms for the transport and catalytic transformations of RHg(I) and Hg(II) by these proteins and the factors that influence the overall efficiency of the process. Current efforts are focused primarily on elucidating details of RHg(I) binding and dealkylation by MerB as well as the mechanism for transfer of the Hg(II) product to MerA. Key findings include the demonstration of a non-cysteine residue as essential for the catalytic activity and demonstration that direct transfer of Hg(II) to MerA proceeds more rapidly and more completely than transfer to small MW thiols such as cysteines or glutathione. Reuslts of these studies as well as an overview of our current understanding of the whole system will be presented.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 10495390600957217, Feb 17, 2007
Bacteria carrying resistance genes for many antibiotics are moving beyond the clinic into the com... more Bacteria carrying resistance genes for many antibiotics are moving beyond the clinic into the community, infecting otherwise healthy people with untreatable and frequently fatal infections. This state of affairs makes it increasingly important that we understand the sources of this problem in terms of bacterial biology and ecology and also that we find some new targets for drugs that will help control this growing epidemic. This brief and eclectic review takes the perspective that we have too long thought about the problem in terms of treatment with or resistance to a single antibiotic at a time, assuming that dissemination of the resistance gene was affected by simple vertical inheritance. In reality antibiotic resistance genes are readily transferred horizontally, even to and from distantly related bacteria. The common agents of bacterial gene transfer are described and also one of the processes whereby nonantibiotic chemicals, specifically toxic metals, in the environment can select for and enrich bacteria with antibiotic multiresistance. Lastly, some speculation is offered on broadening our perspective on this problem to include drugs directed at compromising the ability of the mobile elements themselves to replicate, transfer, and recombine, that is, the three "infrastructure" processes central to the movement of genes among bacteria.
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Papers by Anne Summers