Protozoal food vacuoles enhance transformation in Vibrio cholerae through SOS-regulated DNA integration

• DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01249-0
• Publication Date: 2022-05-16T19:03:37Z
• Authors: Md Hafizur Rahman; Khandaker Rayhan ...; Gustavo Espinoza-...; Angus Ritchie; M Mozammel Hoque; Parisa Noorian; Louise Cole; Diane McDougald; Maurizio Labbate
• Keywords: Horizontal Gene Transfer

Abstract Vibrio cholerae, the bacterial pathogen responsible for diarrheal disease cholera, resides in aquatic environment between outbreaks. For bacteria, genetic variation by lateral gene transfer (LGT) is important survival and adaptation. In environment, V. cholerae predominantly found biofilms associated with chitinous organisms or chitin “rain”. Chitin induces competency which can lead to LGT. also subjected predation pressure protist. Here we investigated whether protozoal affected LGT using integron as a model. Integrons facilitate integration of mobile DNA (gene cassettes) into chromosome. We report that enhances transformation cassette much 405-fold. show oxidative radicals produced phagosome universal SOS response, turn upregulates integron-integrase, recombinase facilitates integration. Additionally, during predation, requires type VI secretion system acquire from Escherichia coli. These results thus producing variants may have increased capacity survive grazing. conditions food vacuole make it “hot spot” accumulating diverse bacteria inducing response helping drive diversification evolution.