Recombination-mediated remodelling of host–pathogen interactions during Staphylococcus aureus niche adaptation

Spoor, L. E. et al. (2015) Recombination-mediated remodelling of host–pathogen interactions during Staphylococcus aureus niche adaptation. Microbial Genomics, 1(4), (doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.000036)

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Abstract

Large-scale recombination events have led to the emergence of epidemic clones of several major bacterial pathogens. However, the functional impact of the recombination on clonal success is not understood. Here, we identified a novel widespread hybrid clone (ST71) of livestock-associated Staphylococcus aureus that evolved from an ancestor belonging to the major bovine lineage CC97, through multiple large-scale recombination events with other S. aureus lineages occupying the same ruminant niche. The recombination events, affecting a 329 kb region of the chromosome spanning the origin of replication, resulted in allele replacement and loss or gain of an array of genes influencing host–pathogen interactions. Of note, molecular functional analyses revealed that the ST71 hybrid clone has acquired multiple novel pathogenic traits associated with acquired and innate immune evasion and bovine extracellular matrix adherence. These findings provide a paradigm for the impact of large-scale recombination events on the rapid evolution of bacterial pathogens within defined ecological niches.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Wilson, Dr Gillian
Authors: Spoor, L. E., Richardson, E., Richards, A. C., Wilson, G. J., Mendonca, C., Gupta, R. K., McAdam, P. R., Nutbeam-Tuffs, S., Black, N. S., O'Gara, J. P., Lee, C. Y., Corander, J., and Fitzgerald, J. R.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
Journal Name:Microbial Genomics
Publisher:Microbiology Society
ISSN:2057-5858
Published Online:13 October 2015
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2015 The Authors
First Published:First published in Microbial Genomics 1(4)
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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