Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors
Abstract Bacterial type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are puncturing molecular machines that transport effector proteins to kill microbes, manipulate eukaryotic cells, or facilitate nutrient uptake. How and why T6SS machines and effectors differ within a species is not fully understood. Here, we appl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54649-5 |
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| _version_ | 1832585584108896256 |
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| author | Antonia Habich Verónica Chaves Vargas Luca A. Robinson Luke P. Allsopp Daniel Unterweger |
| author_facet | Antonia Habich Verónica Chaves Vargas Luca A. Robinson Luke P. Allsopp Daniel Unterweger |
| author_sort | Antonia Habich |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Bacterial type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are puncturing molecular machines that transport effector proteins to kill microbes, manipulate eukaryotic cells, or facilitate nutrient uptake. How and why T6SS machines and effectors differ within a species is not fully understood. Here, we applied molecular population genetics to the T6SSs in a global population of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We reveal varying occurrence of up to four distinct T6SS machines. Moreover, we define conserved core T6SS effectors, likely critical for the biology of P. aeruginosa, and accessory effectors that can exhibit mutual exclusivity between strains. By ancestral reconstruction, we observed dynamic changes in the gain and loss of effector genes in the species’ evolutionary history. Our work highlights the potential importance of T6SS intraspecific diversity in bacterial ecology and evolution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a94f0e31e62041cbb898d4f26c395343 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-a94f0e31e62041cbb898d4f26c3953432025-01-26T12:42:50ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116112310.1038/s41467-024-54649-5Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectorsAntonia Habich0Verónica Chaves Vargas1Luca A. Robinson2Luke P. Allsopp3Daniel Unterweger4Institute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel UniversityInstitute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel UniversityNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College LondonNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College LondonInstitute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel UniversityAbstract Bacterial type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are puncturing molecular machines that transport effector proteins to kill microbes, manipulate eukaryotic cells, or facilitate nutrient uptake. How and why T6SS machines and effectors differ within a species is not fully understood. Here, we applied molecular population genetics to the T6SSs in a global population of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We reveal varying occurrence of up to four distinct T6SS machines. Moreover, we define conserved core T6SS effectors, likely critical for the biology of P. aeruginosa, and accessory effectors that can exhibit mutual exclusivity between strains. By ancestral reconstruction, we observed dynamic changes in the gain and loss of effector genes in the species’ evolutionary history. Our work highlights the potential importance of T6SS intraspecific diversity in bacterial ecology and evolution.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54649-5 |
| spellingShingle | Antonia Habich Verónica Chaves Vargas Luca A. Robinson Luke P. Allsopp Daniel Unterweger Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors Nature Communications |
| title | Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors |
| title_full | Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors |
| title_fullStr | Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors |
| title_short | Distribution of the four type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors |
| title_sort | distribution of the four type vi secretion systems in pseudomonas aeruginosa and classification of their core and accessory effectors |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54649-5 |
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