Phylogenomic analysis of the understudied<i>Neisseriaceae</i>species reveals a poly- and paraphyletic<i>Kingella</i>genus

Morreale, Daniel P.; Geme, Joseph W. St.; Planet, Paul J.

doi:10.1101/2022.10.13.512104

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 89 publications

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“…Recent work from our group showed that K. kingae and K. negevensis diverged from Alysiella and Simonsiella more recently than they diverged from K. denitrificans . 43 Genome analyses showed no evidence of rtxC or rtxA genes in any of these closely related taxa.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Acquisition, co-option, and duplication of thertxtoxin system and the emergence of virulence inKingella

Morreale

Porsch

Kern

et al. 2022

Preprint

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TheKingellagenus includes two pathogenic species, namelyK. kingaeandK. negevensis, as well as strictly commensal species. BothK. kingaeandK. negevensissecrete a toxin called RtxA that is absent in the commensal species. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that the toxin-encoding operonrtxCrtxAtolCwas acquired by a common ancestor of the pathogenicKingellaspecies and that a preexisting type I secretion system was co-opted for toxin export. Subsequent genomic reorganization distributed the toxin machinery across two loci, with 30-35% ofK. kingaestrains containing two copies of thertxAtoxin gene. ThertxAduplication is largely clonal and strongly associated with invasive disease. In assays with isogenic strains, a single copy ofrtxAwas associated with reduced virulence in vitro. This study establishes the critical steps in the evolutionary transition from commensal to pathogen, including horizontal gene transfer, co-option of an existing secretion system, and gene duplication.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Acquisition, co-option, and duplication of thertxtoxin system and the emergence of virulence inKingella

Morreale

Porsch

Kern

et al. 2022

Preprint

Self Cite

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show abstract

Acquisition, co-option, and duplication of the rtx toxin system and the emergence of virulence in Kingella

et al. 2023

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The bacterial genus Kingella includes two pathogenic species, namely Kingella kingae and Kingella negevensis, as well as strictly commensal species. Both K. kingae and K. negevensis secrete a toxin called RtxA that is absent in the commensal species. Here we present a phylogenomic study of the genus Kingella, including new genomic sequences for 88 clinical isolates, genotyping of another 131 global isolates, and analysis of 52 available genomes. The phylogenetic evidence supports that the toxin-encoding operon rtxCA was acquired by a common ancestor of the pathogenic Kingella species, and that a preexisting type-I secretion system was co-opted for toxin export. Subsequent genomic reorganization distributed the toxin machinery across two loci, with 30-35% of K. kingae strains containing two copies of the rtxA toxin gene. The rtxA duplication is largely clonal and is associated with invasive disease. Assays with isogenic strains show that a single copy of rtxA is associated with reduced cytotoxicity in vitro. Thus, our study identifies key steps in the evolutionary transition from commensal to pathogen, including horizontal gene transfer, co-option of an existing secretion system, and gene duplication.

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Phylogenomic analysis of the understudiedNeisseriaceaespecies reveals a poly- and paraphyleticKingellagenus

Cited by 2 publications

References 89 publications

Acquisition, co-option, and duplication of thertxtoxin system and the emergence of virulence inKingella

Acquisition, co-option, and duplication of thertxtoxin system and the emergence of virulence inKingella

Acquisition, co-option, and duplication of the rtx toxin system and the emergence of virulence in Kingella

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