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“Gene accordions” cause genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity in clonal populations of Staphylococcus aureus

Author

Listed:
  • Darya Belikova

    (University of Tübingen)

  • Angelika Jochim

    (University of Tübingen)

  • Jeffrey Power

    (University of Tübingen)

  • Matthew T. G. Holden

    (University of St Andrews)

  • Simon Heilbronner

    (University of Tübingen
    German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Tübingen
    (DFG) Cluster of Excellence EXC 2124 Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections)

Abstract

Gene tandem amplifications are thought to drive bacterial evolution, but they are transient in the absence of selection, making their investigation challenging. Here, we analyze genomic sequences of Staphylococcus aureus USA300 isolates from the same geographical area to identify variations in gene copy number, which we confirm by long-read sequencing. We find several hotspots of variation, including the csa1 cluster encoding lipoproteins known to be immunogenic. We also show that the csa1 locus expands and contracts during bacterial growth in vitro and during systemic infection of mice, and recombination creates rapid heterogeneity in initially clonal cultures. Furthermore, csa1 copy number variants differ in their immunostimulatory capacity, revealing a mechanism by which gene copy number variation can modulate the host immune response.

Suggested Citation

  • Darya Belikova & Angelika Jochim & Jeffrey Power & Matthew T. G. Holden & Simon Heilbronner, 2020. "“Gene accordions” cause genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity in clonal populations of Staphylococcus aureus," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-17277-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17277-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Stephen R. Garrett & Nicole Mietrach & Justin Deme & Alina Bitzer & Yaping Yang & Fatima R. Ulhuq & Dorothee Kretschmer & Simon Heilbronner & Terry K. Smith & Susan M. Lea & Tracy Palmer, 2023. "A type VII-secreted lipase toxin with reverse domain arrangement," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, December.

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