Acquisition of the capsule locus by horizontal gene transfer in Neisseria meningitidis is often accompanied by the loss of UDP-GalNAc synthesis

Stephanie N. Bartley; Shakeel Mowlaboccus; Christopher A. Mullally; Keith A. Stubbs; Alice Vrielink; Martin C. J. Maiden; Odile B. Harrison; Timothy T. Perkins; Charlene M. Kahler

doi:10.1038/srep44442

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Acquisition of the capsule locus by horizontal gene transfer in Neisseria meningitidis is often accompanied by the loss of UDP-GalNAc synthesis

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Acquisition of the capsule locus by horizontal gene transfer in Neisseria meningitidis is often accompanied by the loss of UDP-GalNAc synthesis

Stephanie N. Bartley, Shakeel Mowlaboccus, Christopher A. Mullally, Keith A. Stubbs, Alice Vrielink, Martin C. J. Maiden, Odile B. Harrison, Timothy T. Perkins and Charlene M. Kahler

Scientific reports, Vol.7(1), pp.44442-44442

2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/srep44442

PMCID: PMC5349592

PMID: 28290510

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Abstract

Pathogenic meningococci have acquired a 24 kb capsule synthesis island (cps) by horizontal gene transfer which consists of a synthetic locus and associated capsule transport genes flanked by repetitive Regions D and D’. Regions D and D’ contain an intact gene encoding a UDP-galactose epimerase (galE1) and a truncated remnant (galE2), respectively. In this study, GalE protein alleles were shown to be either mono-functional, synthesising UDP-galactose (UDP-Gal), or bi-functional, synthesising UDP-Gal and UDP-galactosamine (UDP-GalNAc). Meningococci possessing a capsule null locus (cnl) typically possessed a single bi-functional galE. Separation of functionality between galE1 and galE2 alleles in meningococcal isolates was retained for all serogroups except serogroup E which has a synthetic requirement for UDP-GalNAc. The truncated galE2 remnant in Region D’ was also phylogenetically related to the bi-functional galE of the cnl locus suggesting common ancestry. A model is proposed in which the illegitimate recombination of the cps island into the galE allele of the cnl locus results in the formation of Region D’ containing the truncated galE2 locus and the capture of the cps island en bloc. The retention of the duplicated Regions D and D’ enables inversion of the synthetic locus within the cps island during bacterial growth.

Details

Title: Acquisition of the capsule locus by horizontal gene transfer in Neisseria meningitidis is often accompanied by the loss of UDP-GalNAc synthesis
Authors/Creators: Stephanie N. Bartley - Univ Western Australia, Sch Biomed Sci, Perth, WA, Australia
Shakeel Mowlaboccus - The University of Western Australia
Christopher A. Mullally - Univ Western Australia, Sch Biomed Sci, Perth, WA, Australia
Keith A. Stubbs - The University of Western Australia
Alice Vrielink - The University of Western Australia
Martin C. J. Maiden - University of Oxford
Odile B. Harrison - University of Oxford
Timothy T. Perkins - Univ Western Australia, Sch Biomed Sci, Perth, WA, Australia
Charlene M. Kahler - The University of Western Australia
Publication Details: Scientific reports, Vol.7(1), pp.44442-44442
Publisher: Springer Nature
Number of pages: 14
Grant note: 104992; 087622 / Wellcome Trust; European Commission University of Western Australia FT100100291 / Australian Research Council Amanda Young Foundation APP546003; APP1003697; APP1078642 / National Health and Medical Research Council; National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia
Identifiers: 991005578665707891
Copyright: © The Author(s) 2017
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Biosecurity and One Health
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Citation topics: 1 Clinical & Life Sciences; 1.23 Antibiotics & Antimicrobials; 1.23.714 Neisseria/Haemophilus
Web Of Science research areas: Microbiology
ESI research areas: Microbiology