I型限制修饰系统的水平获得通过介导转录因子编码基因的甲基化增强细菌致病性。
Horizontal acquisition of the Type I restriction-modification system enhances bacterial pathogenicity by mediating methylation of transcription factor-encoding genes.
作者信息
Ma Jiayue, Jiang Xiaoli, Bi Haixin, Li Juanjuan, Ma Xiang, Chi Xue, Tang Yanqiong, Liu Zhu, Li Hong
机构信息
School of Life and Health Sciences, Hainan Province Key Laboratory of One Health, Collaborative Innovation Center of Life and Health, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China.
Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science of Yunnan Province, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China.
出版信息
Nucleic Acids Res. 2025 Jul 8;53(13). doi: 10.1093/nar/gkaf659.
The Type I restriction-modification (RM) system, encoded by the hsdR, hsdM, and hsdS genes, plays a crucial role in shaping the prokaryotic DNA methylation landscape. Although known for defending against foreign DNA, key aspects of its evolutionary trajectory and functional implications after stable inheritance remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified four primary types of Type I RM systems across 4273 prokaryotic genomes based on gene arrangement. Among these, the 5'-hsdR, hsdM, hsdS-3' (RMS) configuration emerged as the most evolutionarily advanced form. Phylogenetic reconstruction revealed that RMS was formed through gene duplication, horizontal gene transfer, and gene loss, and it now stably exists in bacteria. Functional characterization demonstrated that RMS deletion in bacteria led to the absence of flagella and a significant reduction in their ability to colonize and infect mice. Integrated multi-omics analysis uncovered a potential regulatory cascade where RMS modulates the expression of transcription factors via DNA methylation, which in turn regulate downstream flagellar and chemotaxis genes, thereby influencing bacterial pathogenicity. These findings establish a complete evolutionary-functional paradigm, elucidating how (evolutionary trajectory) and why (functional constraints) RMS has been stably inherited in bacterial genomes, and revealing the molecular mechanism through which RMS orchestrates bacterial pathogenicity.
由hsdR、hsdM和hsdS基因编码的I型限制-修饰(RM)系统在塑造原核生物DNA甲基化格局中起着关键作用。尽管其以抵御外源DNA而闻名,但其进化轨迹的关键方面以及稳定遗传后的功能影响仍知之甚少。在本研究中,我们基于基因排列在4273个原核生物基因组中鉴定出四种主要类型的I型RM系统。其中,5'-hsdR、hsdM、hsdS-3'(RMS)构型是进化上最先进的形式。系统发育重建表明,RMS是通过基因复制、水平基因转移和基因丢失形成的,并且现在稳定存在于细菌中。功能表征表明,细菌中RMS的缺失导致鞭毛缺失以及它们在小鼠中定殖和感染能力的显著降低。综合多组学分析揭示了一个潜在的调控级联,其中RMS通过DNA甲基化调节转录因子的表达,进而调节下游鞭毛和趋化性基因,从而影响细菌致病性。这些发现建立了一个完整的进化-功能范式,阐明了RMS如何(进化轨迹)以及为何(功能限制)在细菌基因组中稳定遗传,并揭示了RMS协调细菌致病性的分子机制。