Investigation of Yersinia pestis Laboratory Adaptation through a Combined Genomics and Proteomics Approach

PLoS One. 2015 Nov 24;10(11):e0142997. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142997. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

The bacterial pathogen Yersinia pestis, the cause of plague in humans and animals, normally has a sylvatic lifestyle, cycling between fleas and mammals. In contrast, laboratory-grown Y. pestis experiences a more constant environment and conditions that it would not normally encounter. The transition from the natural environment to the laboratory results in a vastly different set of selective pressures, and represents what could be considered domestication. Understanding the kinds of adaptations Y. pestis undergoes as it becomes domesticated will contribute to understanding the basic biology of this important pathogen. In this study, we performed a parallel serial passage experiment (PSPE) to explore the mechanisms by which Y. pestis adapts to laboratory conditions, hypothesizing that cells would undergo significant changes in virulence and nutrient acquisition systems. Two wild strains were serially passaged in 12 independent populations each for ~750 generations, after which each population was analyzed using whole-genome sequencing, LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis, and GC/MS metabolomics. We observed considerable parallel evolution in the endpoint populations, detecting multiple independent mutations in ail, pepA, and zwf, suggesting that specific selective pressures are shaping evolutionary responses. Complementary LC-MS/MS proteomic data provide physiological context to the observed mutations, and reveal regulatory changes not necessarily associated with specific mutations, including changes in amino acid metabolism and cell envelope biogenesis. Proteomic data support hypotheses generated by genomic data in addition to suggesting future mechanistic studies, indicating that future whole-genome sequencing studies be designed to leverage proteomics as a critical complement.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological / genetics*
  • Animals
  • Genomics*
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Humans
  • Laboratories
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Plague / microbiology
  • Proteomics*
  • Yersinia pestis / genetics*
  • Yersinia pestis / pathogenicity

Associated data

  • GENBANK/LIXX00000000
  • GENBANK/LIXY00000000
  • SRA/SRR2183237
  • SRA/SRR2183238
  • SRA/SRR2183239
  • SRA/SRR2183240
  • SRA/SRR2183241
  • SRA/SRR2183242
  • SRA/SRR2183243
  • SRA/SRR2183244
  • SRA/SRR2183245
  • SRA/SRR2183246
  • SRA/SRR2183247
  • SRA/SRR2183248
  • SRA/SRR2183249
  • SRA/SRR2183250
  • SRA/SRR2183251
  • SRA/SRR2183252
  • SRA/SRR2183253
  • SRA/SRR2183254
  • SRA/SRR2183255
  • SRA/SRR2183256
  • SRA/SRR2183257
  • SRA/SRR2183258
  • SRA/SRR2183308

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Defense Threat Reduction Agency Basic Research Award DTRA10027IA-2129 and by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a multiprogram national laboratory operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy. Battelle Memorial Institute operates Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. DOE under Contract DE-AC06-76RLO. The funders authorized publication, but had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, or preparation of the manuscript.