Werner Lass Sarah, Smith Bailey E, Camphire Shaw, Eutsey Rory A, Prentice Jojo A, Yerneni Saigopalakrishna S, Arun Ashni, Bridges Andrew A, Rosch Jason W, Conway James F, Campbell Phil, Hiller N Luisa
Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
mSphere. 2024 Dec 19;9(12):e0072724. doi: 10.1128/msphere.00727-24. Epub 2024 Nov 6.
Bacterial cells secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), the function of which is a matter of intense investigation. Here, we show that the EVs secreted by the human pathogen (pneumococcus) are associated with bacterial DNA on their surface and can deliver this DNA to the transformation machinery of competent cells. These findings suggest that EVs contribute to gene transfer in Gram-positive bacteria and, in doing so, may promote the spread of drug resistance genes in the population.IMPORTANCEThis work extends our understanding of horizontal gene transfer and the roles of extracellular vesicles in pneumococcus. This bacterium serves as the model for transformation, a process by which bacteria can take up naked DNA from the environment. Here, we show that extracellular vesicles secreted by the pneumococcus have DNA on their surface and that this DNA can be imported by the transformation machinery, facilitating gene transfer. Understanding EV-mediated gene transfer may provide new avenues to manage the spread of antibiotic drug resistance.
细菌细胞会分泌细胞外囊泡（EVs），其功能是一个深入研究的课题。在此，我们表明人类病原体（肺炎球菌）分泌的细胞外囊泡在其表面与细菌DNA相关联，并且能够将这种DNA传递给感受态细胞的转化机制。这些发现表明细胞外囊泡有助于革兰氏阳性菌中的基因转移，并且这样做可能会促进耐药基因在群体中的传播。重要性这项工作扩展了我们对水平基因转移以及细胞外囊泡在肺炎球菌中作用的理解。这种细菌是转化的模型，转化是细菌可以从环境中摄取裸DNA的过程。在此，我们表明肺炎球菌分泌的细胞外囊泡在其表面有DNA，并且这种DNA可以被转化机制导入，促进基因转移。了解细胞外囊泡介导的基因转移可能为控制抗生素耐药性的传播提供新途径。
