TY - JOUR
T1 - The F-pilus biomechanical adaptability accelerates conjugative dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation
AU - Patkowski, Jonasz B.
AU - Dahlberg, Tobias
AU - Amin, Himani
AU - Gahlot, Dharmender K.
AU - Vijayrajratnam, Sukhithasri
AU - Vogel, Joseph P.
AU - Francis, Matthew S.
AU - Baker, Joseph L.
AU - Andersson, Magnus
AU - Costa, Tiago R.D.
N1 - Funding Information:
J.L.B. acknowledges support under NSF Grant MCB−1817670. J.L.B. also acknowledges use of the Electronic Laboratory for Science and Analysis (ELSA) high performance computing cluster at The College of New Jersey for conducting the simulations reported in this paper. This cluster is funded, in part, by the NSF under grants OAC−1826915 and OAC−1828163. J.L.B. also thanks Dr. Callum Dickson for early access to the Lipid21 parameters through his GitHub page, and for helpful discussion about use of the parameters. We thank Paul Simpson (Electron Microscopy Facility, Centre for Structural Biology, Imperial College London) for in-house EM support. We thank Prof. Jose Penadés and Prof. Alain Filloux (MRC Center for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection) for general insights and critical reading of the manuscript. We also thank Prof. Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj (MRC Center for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection), Prof. Marjanca Starčič Erjavec (University of Ljubljana) and Dr. Alvaro San Millán (Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Madrid) for providing bacterial strains. This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council (2019-04016) to M.A. and Welcome Trust Award 215164/Z/18/Z to T.R.D.C.
Funding Information:
J.L.B. acknowledges support under NSF Grant MCB−1817670. J.L.B. also acknowledges use of the Electronic Laboratory for Science and Analysis (ELSA) high performance computing cluster at The College of New Jersey for conducting the simulations reported in this paper. This cluster is funded, in part, by the NSF under grants OAC−1826915 and OAC−1828163. J.L.B. also thanks Dr. Callum Dickson for early access to the Lipid21 parameters through his GitHub page, and for helpful discussion about use of the parameters. We thank Paul Simpson (Electron Microscopy Facility, Centre for Structural Biology, Imperial College London) for in-house EM support. We thank Prof. Jose Penadés and Prof. Alain Filloux (MRC Center for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection) for general insights and critical reading of the manuscript. We also thank Prof. Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj (MRC Center for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection), Prof. Marjanca Starčič Erjavec (University of Ljubljana) and Dr. Alvaro San Millán (Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Madrid) for providing bacterial strains. This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council (2019-04016) to M.A. and Welcome Trust Award 215164/Z/18/Z to T.R.D.C.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Conjugation is used by bacteria to propagate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment. Central to this process are widespread conjugative F-pili that establish the connection between donor and recipient cells, thereby facilitating the spread of IncF plasmids among enteropathogenic bacteria. Here, we show that the F-pilus is highly flexible but robust at the same time, properties that increase its resistance to thermochemical and mechanical stresses. By a combination of biophysical and molecular dynamics methods, we establish that the presence of phosphatidylglycerol molecules in the F-pilus contributes to the structural stability of the polymer. Moreover, this structural stability is important for successful delivery of DNA during conjugation and facilitates rapid formation of biofilms in harsh environmental conditions. Thus, our work highlights the importance of F-pilus structural adaptations for the efficient spread of AMR genes in a bacterial population and for the formation of biofilms that protect against the action of antibiotics.
AB - Conjugation is used by bacteria to propagate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment. Central to this process are widespread conjugative F-pili that establish the connection between donor and recipient cells, thereby facilitating the spread of IncF plasmids among enteropathogenic bacteria. Here, we show that the F-pilus is highly flexible but robust at the same time, properties that increase its resistance to thermochemical and mechanical stresses. By a combination of biophysical and molecular dynamics methods, we establish that the presence of phosphatidylglycerol molecules in the F-pilus contributes to the structural stability of the polymer. Moreover, this structural stability is important for successful delivery of DNA during conjugation and facilitates rapid formation of biofilms in harsh environmental conditions. Thus, our work highlights the importance of F-pilus structural adaptations for the efficient spread of AMR genes in a bacterial population and for the formation of biofilms that protect against the action of antibiotics.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85151805808&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41467-023-37600-y
DO - 10.1038/s41467-023-37600-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 37019921
AN - SCOPUS:85151805808
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 14
JO - Nature communications
JF - Nature communications
IS - 1
M1 - 1879
ER -