Competence in and Close Commensal Relatives: Mechanisms and Implications

Overview

Journal Front Cell Infect Microbiol

Specialties Cell Biology
Infectious Diseases
Microbiology

Date 2019 Apr 20

PMID 31001492

Citations 50

Authors

Gabriela Salvadori

Roger Junges

Donald A Morrison

Fernanda C Petersen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The mitis group of streptococci comprises species that are common colonizers of the naso-oral-pharyngeal tract of humans. and are close relatives and share ~60-80% of orthologous genes, but still present striking differences in pathogenic potential toward the human host. has long been recognized as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes for , as well as a source for capsule polysaccharide variation, leading to resistance and vaccine escape. Both species share the ability to become naturally competent, and in this context, competence-associated killing mechanisms such as fratricide are thought to play an important role in interspecies gene exchange. Here, we explore the general mechanism of natural genetic transformation in the two species and touch upon the fundamental clinical and evolutionary implications of sharing similar competence, fratricide mechanisms, and a large fraction of their genomic DNA.

Citing Articles

Comparative analysis of the competence development versus during pneumonia-derived sepsis.

Chong S, Lew S, Alam T, Gaulke C, Lau G Front Microbiol. 2025; 16:1540511.

PMID: 39935640 PMC: 11811101. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1540511.

The SpxA1-TenA toxin-antitoxin system regulates epigenetic variations of Streptococcus pneumoniae by targeting protein synthesis.

Wang S, Li X, Zhu M, Deng H, Wang J, Zhang J PLoS Pathog. 2024; 20(12):e1012801.

PMID: 39724263 PMC: 11709252. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012801.

Exploring links between oral health and infective endocarditis.

Falconer J, Rajani R, Androshchuk V, Yogarajah A, Greenbury R, Ismail A Front Oral Health. 2024; 5:1426903.

PMID: 39687478 PMC: 11647013. DOI: 10.3389/froh.2024.1426903.

Point mutations in functionally diverse genes are associated with increased natural DNA transformation in multidrug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Peillard-Fiorente F, Pham N, Gingras H, Godin C, Feng J, Leprohon P Nucleic Acids Res. 2024; 53(1.

PMID: 39673518 PMC: 11724299. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae1140.

A simple and cost-effective transformation system for via natural competence.

Abe K, Yahara H, Nakao R, Yamaguchi T, Akeda Y Front Microbiol. 2024; 15:1476171.

PMID: 39498132 PMC: 11532111. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1476171.

References

Tappuni A, Challacombe S . Distribution and isolation frequency of eight streptococcal species in saliva from predentate and dentate children and adults. J Dent Res. 1993; 72(1):31-6. DOI: 10.1177/00220345930720010401. View

Pimenta F, Gertz Jr R, Park S, Kim E, Moura I, Milucky J . , and Strains With Highly Similar Loci and Antigenic Relatedness to Serotype 5 Pneumococci. Front Microbiol. 2019; 9:3199. PMC: 6332807. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03199. View

Petersen F, Pecharki D, Scheie A . Biofilm mode of growth of Streptococcus intermedius favored by a competence-stimulating signaling peptide. J Bacteriol. 2004; 186(18):6327-31. PMC: 515148. DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.18.6327-6331.2004. View

AVERY O, Macleod C, McCarty M . STUDIES ON THE CHEMICAL NATURE OF THE SUBSTANCE INDUCING TRANSFORMATION OF PNEUMOCOCCAL TYPES : INDUCTION OF TRANSFORMATION BY A DESOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID FRACTION ISOLATED FROM PNEUMOCOCCUS TYPE III. J Exp Med. 2009; 79(2):137-58. PMC: 2135445. DOI: 10.1084/jem.79.2.137. View

Richards V, Palmer S, Bitar P, Qin X, Weinstock G, Highlander S . Phylogenomics and the dynamic genome evolution of the genus Streptococcus. Genome Biol Evol. 2014; 6(4):741-53. PMC: 4007547. DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evu048. View

Johnston C, Martin B, Fichant G, Polard P, Claverys J . Bacterial transformation: distribution, shared mechanisms and divergent control. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2014; 12(3):181-96. DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro3199. View

Eldholm V, Johnsborg O, Straume D, Ohnstad H, Berg K, Hermoso J . Pneumococcal CbpD is a murein hydrolase that requires a dual cell envelope binding specificity to kill target cells during fratricide. Mol Microbiol. 2010; 76(4):905-17. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07143.x. View

Donati C, Hiller N, Tettelin H, Muzzi A, Croucher N, Angiuoli S . Structure and dynamics of the pan-genome of Streptococcus pneumoniae and closely related species. Genome Biol. 2010; 11(10):R107. PMC: 3218663. DOI: 10.1186/gb-2010-11-10-r107. View

Chi F, Nolte O, Bergmann C, Ip M, Hakenbeck R . Crossing the barrier: evolution and spread of a major class of mosaic pbp2x in Streptococcus pneumoniae, S. mitis and S. oralis. Int J Med Microbiol. 2007; 297(7-8):503-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2007.02.009. View

10.

Battig P, Muhlemann K . Influence of the spxB gene on competence in Streptococcus pneumoniae. J Bacteriol. 2007; 190(4):1184-9. PMC: 2238216. DOI: 10.1128/JB.01517-07. View

11.

Junges R, Salvadori G, Chen T, Morrison D, Petersen F . Hidden Gems in the Transcriptome Maps of Competent Streptococci. Front Mol Biosci. 2019; 5:116. PMC: 6328492. DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2018.00116. View

12.

Havarstein L, Hakenbeck R, Gaustad P . Natural competence in the genus Streptococcus: evidence that streptococci can change pherotype by interspecies recombinational exchanges. J Bacteriol. 1997; 179(21):6589-94. PMC: 179583. DOI: 10.1128/jb.179.21.6589-6594.1997. View

13.

Fox M, Allen M . ON THE MECHANISM OF DEOXYRIBONUCLEATE INTEGRATION IN PNEUMOCOCCAL TRANSFORMATION. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1964; 52:412-9. PMC: 300292. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.52.2.412. View

14.

Henriques-Normark B, Tuomanen E . The pneumococcus: epidemiology, microbiology, and pathogenesis. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2013; 3(7). PMC: 3685878. DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a010215. View

15.

DAWSON M, Sia R . IN VITRO TRANSFORMATION OF PNEUMOCOCCAL TYPES : I. A TECHNIQUE FOR INDUCING TRANSFORMATION OF PNEUMOCOCCAL TYPES IN VITRO. J Exp Med. 2009; 54(5):681-99. PMC: 2132061. DOI: 10.1084/jem.54.5.681. View

16.

Havarstein L, Coomaraswamy G, Morrison D . An unmodified heptadecapeptide pheromone induces competence for genetic transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995; 92(24):11140-4. PMC: 40587. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.92.24.11140. View

17.

Ibrahim Y, Kerr A, McCluskey J, Mitchell T . Role of HtrA in the virulence and competence of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 2004; 72(6):3584-91. PMC: 415679. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.6.3584-3591.2004. View

18.

Marks L, Mashburn-Warren L, Federle M, Hakansson A . Streptococcus pyogenes biofilm growth in vitro and in vivo and its role in colonization, virulence, and genetic exchange. J Infect Dis. 2014; 210(1):25-34. PMC: 4162002. DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiu058. View

19.

Gurney Jr T, Fox M . Physical and genetic hybrids formed in bacterial transformation. J Mol Biol. 1968; 32(1):83-100. DOI: 10.1016/0022-2836(68)90147-2. View

20.

Tovpeko Y, Morrison D . Competence for genetic transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae: mutations in σA bypass the comW requirement. J Bacteriol. 2014; 196(21):3724-34. PMC: 4248798. DOI: 10.1128/JB.01933-14. View