In silico investigation of the genus Campylobacter type VI secretion system reveals genetic diversity in organization and putative effectors
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Supporting information
Supporting information
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Bacterial type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are contractile nanomachines that deliver proteinic substrates into target prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells and the surrounding milieu. The genus Campylobacter encompasses 39 recognized species and 13 subspecies, with many belonging to a group known as ‘emerging Campylobacter pathogens’. Within Campylobacter, seven species have been identified to harbour a complete T6SS cluster but have yet to be comparatively assessed. In this study, using systematic bioinformatics approaches and the T6SS-positive Campylobacter jejuni 488 strain as a reference, we explored the genus-wide prevalence, similarity and make-up of the T6SS amongst 372 publicly available ‘complete’ Campylobacter genomes. Our analyses predict that approximately one-third of Campylobacter species possess a T6SS. We also putatively report the first identification of a T6SS in four species: Campylobacter cuniculorum, Campylobacter helveticus, Campylobacter armoricus and Campylobacter ornithocola. The Campylobacter T6SSs cluster into three distinct organizations (I–III), of which two break down into further variants. Thirty T6SS-containing genomes were found to harbour more than one vgrG gene, with Campylobacter lari strain NCTC 11845 possessing five. Analysis of the C. jejuni Pathogenicity Island-1 confirmed its conservation amongst T6SS-positive C. jejuni strains, as well as highlighting its diverse genetic composition, including additional putative effector–immunity pairs (e.g. PoNe and DUF1911 domains). Effector–immunity pairs were also observed neighbouring vgrGs in several other Campylobacter species, in addition to putative genes encoding nucleases, lysozymes, ATPases and a ferric ATP-binding cassette uptake system. These observations highlight the diverse genetic make-up of the T6SS within Campylobacter and provide further evidence of its role in pathogenesis.
Editor(s)
Chen, Swaine
Date Issued
2022-10-31
Date Acceptance
2022-09-30
Citation
Microbial Genomics, 2022, 8 (10), pp.1-15
ISSN
2057-5858
Publisher
Microbiology Society
Start Page
1
End Page
15
Journal / Book Title
Microbial Genomics
Volume
8
Issue
10
Copyright Statement
© 2022 The Authors. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between
the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author’s institution.
the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author’s institution.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.000898
Subjects
0604 Genetics
0605 Microbiology
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United Kingdom
Date Publish Online
2022-10-31