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1. A Metabolite Produced by Gut Microbes Represses Phage Infections in Vibrio cholerae

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acschembio.2c00422  

   Zang, Zhiyu; Park, Kyoung Jin; Gerdt, Joseph P. (September 2022, ACS Chemical Biology)
2. Leptochelins A–C, Cytotoxic Metallophores Produced by Geographically Dispersed Leptothoe Strains of Marine Cyanobacteria

   https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c05399  

   Avalon, Nicole_E; Reis, Mariana_A; Thornburg, Christopher_C; Williamson, R_Thomas; Petras, Daniel; Aron, Allegra_T; Neuhaus, George_F; Al-Hindy, Momen; Mitrevska, Jana; Ferreira, Leonor; et al (June 2024, Journal of the American Chemical Society)
3. Petrobactin, a siderophore produced by Alteromonas , mediates community iron acquisition in the global ocean

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-01065-y  

   Manck, Lauren E.; Park, Jiwoon; Tully, Benjamin J.; Poire, Alfonso M.; Bundy, Randelle M.; Dupont, Christopher L.; Barbeau, Katherine A. (August 2021, The ISME Journal)

   Abstract It is now widely accepted that siderophores play a role in marine iron biogeochemical cycling. However, the mechanisms by which siderophores affect the availability of iron from specific sources and the resulting significance of these processes on iron biogeochemical cycling as a whole have remained largely untested. In this study, we develop a model system for testing the effects of siderophore production on iron bioavailability using the marine copiotroph Alteromonas macleodii ATCC 27126. Through the generation of the knockout cell line ΔasbB::kmr, which lacks siderophore biosynthetic capabilities, we demonstrate that the production of the siderophore petrobactin enables the acquisition of iron from mineral sources and weaker iron-ligand complexes. Notably, the utilization of lithogenic iron, such as that from atmospheric dust, indicates a significant role for siderophores in the incorporation of new iron into marine systems. We have also detected petrobactin, a photoreactive siderophore, directly from seawater in the mid-latitudes of the North Pacific and have identified the biosynthetic pathway for petrobactin in bacterial metagenome-assembled genomes widely distributed across the global ocean. Together, these results improve our mechanistic understanding of the role of siderophore production in iron biogeochemical cycling in the marine environment wherein iron speciation, bioavailability, and residence time can be directly influenced by microbial activities. 

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4. Coproporphyrin III Produced by the Bacterium Glutamicibacter arilaitensis Binds Zinc and Is Upregulated by Fungi in Cheese Rinds

   https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00036-18  

   Cleary, Jessica L.; Kolachina, Shilpa; Wolfe, Benjamin E.; Sanchez, Laura M.; Tullman-Ercek, Danielle (August 2018, mSystems)

   ABSTRACT Microbial communities of fermented food microbiomes typically exhibit predictable patterns of microbial succession. However, the biochemical mechanisms that control the diversity and dynamics of these communities are not well described. Interactions between bacteria and fungi may be one mechanism controlling the development of cheese rind microbiomes. This study characterizes a specific bacterium-fungus interaction previously discovered on cheese rinds between the bacterium Glutamicibacter arilaitensis (formerly Arthrobacter arilaitensis ) and fungi of the genus Penicillium and identifies the specialized metabolites produced during cocultures. G. arilaitensis was previously shown to produce an unknown pink pigment in response to the presence of Penicillium . Using a combination of mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), we determined that this pigment production is associated with production of coproporphyrin III. The discovery that coproporphyrin III preferentially bound zinc over other trace metals found in cheese curds highlights the value of using analytical chemistry to confirm identity of predicted chemical species. IMPORTANCE Bacterium-fungus interactions play key roles in the assembly of cheese rind microbial communities, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions are poorly characterized. Moreover, millions of people around the world enjoy eating cheeses and cheese rinds, but our understanding of the diversity of microbial metabolites ingested during cheese consumption is limited. The discovery of zinc coproporphyrin III as the cause of pink pigment production by Glutamicibacter arilaitensis suggests that secretion of this molecule is important for microbial acquisition of trace metals. 

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5. Applying a polysaccharide lyase from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia to disrupt alginate exopolysaccharide produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates

   https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01853-24  

   Felton, Samantha M; Akula, Nikki; Kolling, Glynis L; Azadi, Parastoo; Black, Ian; Kumar, Ambrish; Heiss, Christian; Capobianco, Joseph; Uknalis, Joseph; Papin, Jason A; et al (January 2025, Applied and Environmental Microbiology)

   Zhou, Ning-Yi (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosais considered one of the most challenging, drug-resistant, opportunistic pathogens partly due to its ability to synthesize robust biofilms. Biofilm is a mixture of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that encapsulates microbial cells, leading to immune evasion, antibiotic resistance, and thus higher risk of infection. In the cystic fibrosis lung environment,P. aeruginosaundergoes a mucoid transition, defined by overproduction of the exopolysaccharide alginate. Alginate encapsulation results in bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the host immune system. Given its role in airway inflammation and chronic infection, alginate is an obvious target to improve treatment forP. aeruginosainfection. Previously, we demonstrated polysaccharide lyase Smlt1473 fromStenotrophomonas maltophiliastrain k279a can catalyze the degradation of multiple polyuronidesin vitro, including D-mannuronic acid (poly-ManA). Poly-ManA is a major constituent ofP. aeruginosaalginate, suggesting that Smlt1473 could have potential application against multidrug-resistantP. aeruginosaand perhaps other microbes with related biofilm composition. In this study, we demonstrate that Smlt1473 can inhibit and degrade alginate fromP. aeruginosa. Additionally, we show that testedP. aeruginosastrains are dominant in acetylated alginate and that all but one have similar M-to-G ratios. These results indicate that variation in enzyme efficacy among the isolates is not primarily due to differences in total EPS or alginate chemical composition. Overall, these results demonstrate Smlt1473 can inhibit and degradeP. aeruginosaalginate and suggest that other factors including rate of EPS production, alginate sequence/chain length, or non-EPS components may explain differences in enzyme efficacy. IMPORTANCEPseudomonas aeruginosais a major opportunistic human pathogen in part due to its ability to synthesize biofilms that confer antibiotic resistance. Biofilm is a mixture of polysaccharides, DNA, and proteins that encapsulate cells, protecting them from antibiotics, disinfectants, and other cleaning agents. Due to its ability to increase antibiotic and immune resistance, the exopolysaccharide alginate plays a large role in airway inflammation and chronicP. aeruginosainfection. As a result, colonization withP. aeruginosais the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in CF patients. Thus, it is an obvious target to improve the treatment regimen forP. aeruginosainfection. In this study, we demonstrate that polysaccharide lyase, Smlt1473, inhibits alginate secretion and degrades established alginate from a variety of mucoidP. aeruginosaclinical isolates. Additionally, Smlt1473 differs from other alginate lyases in that it is active against acetylated alginate, which is secreted during chronic lung infection. These results suggest that Smlt1473 may be useful in treating infections associated with alginate-producingP. aeruginosa, as well as have the potential to reduceP. aeruginosaEPS in non-clinical settings. 

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