Co-evolutionary Signals Identify Burkholderia pseudomallei Survival Strategies in a Hostile Environment
Issued Date
2022-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
07374038
eISSN
15371719
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85123812922
Pubmed ID
34662416
Journal Title
Molecular Biology and Evolution
Volume
39
Issue
1
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Molecular Biology and Evolution Vol.39 No.1 (2022)
Suggested Citation
Chewapreecha C., Pensar J., Chattagul S., Pesonen M., Sangphukieo A., Boonklang P., Potisap C., Koosakulnirand S., Feil E.J., Dunachie S., Chantratita N., Limmathurotsakul D., Peacock S.J., Day N.P.J., Parkhill J., Thomson N.R., Sermswan R.W., Corander J. Co-evolutionary Signals Identify Burkholderia pseudomallei Survival Strategies in a Hostile Environment. Molecular Biology and Evolution Vol.39 No.1 (2022). doi:10.1093/molbev/msab306 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/83387
Title
Co-evolutionary Signals Identify Burkholderia pseudomallei Survival Strategies in a Hostile Environment
Author's Affiliation
Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University
Department of Medicine
Department of Veterinary Medicine
Oslo Universitetssykehus
University of Bath
Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University
Khon Kaen University
Universitetet i Oslo
Nuffield Department of Medicine
King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
Wellcome Sanger Institute
Helsingin Yliopisto
Department of Medicine
Department of Veterinary Medicine
Oslo Universitetssykehus
University of Bath
Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University
Khon Kaen University
Universitetet i Oslo
Nuffield Department of Medicine
King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
Wellcome Sanger Institute
Helsingin Yliopisto
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
The soil bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis and a significant cause of human morbidity and mortality in many tropical and subtropical countries. The species notoriously survives harsh environmental conditions but the genetic architecture for these adaptations remains unclear. Here we employed a powerful combination of genome-wide epistasis and co-selection studies (2,011 genomes), condition-wide transcriptome analyses (82 diverse conditions), and a gene knockout assay to uncover signals of "co-selection"- that is a combination of genetic markers that have been repeatedly selected together through B. pseudomallei evolution. These enabled us to identify 13,061 mutation pairs under co-selection in distinct genes and noncoding RNA. Genes under co-selection displayed marked expression correlation when B. pseudomallei was subjected to physical stress conditions, highlighting the conditions as one of the major evolutionary driving forces for this bacterium. We identified a putative adhesin (BPSL1661) as a hub of co-selection signals, experimentally confirmed a BPSL1661 role under nutrient deprivation, and explored the functional basis of co-selection gene network surrounding BPSL1661 in facilitating the bacterial survival under nutrient depletion. Our findings suggest that nutrient-limited conditions have been the common selection pressure acting on this species, and allelic variation of BPSL1661 may have promoted B. pseudomallei survival during harsh environmental conditions by facilitating bacterial adherence to different surfaces, cells, or living hosts.