Prevalence and comparative analysis of the type IV secretion system in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitan

Chih-Chin Liu; Chang-Hua Chen; Chuan Yi Tang; Kuan-Hsueh Chen; Zhao-Feng Chen; Shih-Hao Chang; Chi-Ying Tsai; Ming-Li Liou

doi:10.1016/j.jmii.2016.12.012

Prevalence and comparative analysis of the type IV secretion system in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitan

J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2018 Apr;51(2):278-285. doi: 10.1016/j.jmii.2016.12.012. Epub 2017 Jun 30.

Authors

Chih-Chin Liu¹, Chang-Hua Chen², Chuan Yi Tang³, Kuan-Hsueh Chen³, Zhao-Feng Chen⁴, Shih-Hao Chang⁵, Chi-Ying Tsai⁶, Ming-Li Liou⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Bioinformatics, Chung Hua University, Hsin-Chu City, Taiwan; Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Providence University, Taichung County, Taiwan.
² Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua City, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, College of Medicine & Nursing, Hung Kuang University, Taichung City, Taiwan.
³ Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Providence University, Taichung County, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Nursing, Yuanpei University, Hsin-Chu City, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Periodontics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan County, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan County, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Yuanpei University, Hsin-Chu City, Taiwan. Electronic address: d918229@gmail.com.

PMID: 28711435
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmii.2016.12.012

Abstract

Backgroud/purpose: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans has emerged as one of the aetiological agents in periodontal disease. Although Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are widely distributed in many bacteria, the genetic features and distribution of T4SSs in A. actinomycetemcomitans remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of A. actinomycetemcomitans serotypes and their T4SSs in a Taiwanese population.

Methods: A comparative analysis of 20 A. actinomycetemcomitans genomes and their T4SSs deposited in GenBank was performed. One hundred subjects, including 20 periodontitis and 80 normal subjects, were enrolled and PCR identification of A. actinomycetemcomitans serotypes and T4SS genes were performed.

Results: Of 100 subjects, serotypes C (22%) and E (11%) were most common. In addition, T4SSs were distributed in all of the serotypes. The prevalence of T4SSs and their location in plasmids in periodontitis subjects were 1.28-2 fold higher but not significantly different compared to normal subjects. Of 20 A. actinomycetemcomitans genomes, only ten with complete T4SS modules could be detected, which was highly correlated with localized aggressive periodontitis (p < 0.1). Nine of ten T4SS modules were from periodontitis subjects. Phylogenetic analysis of 10 T4SSs in A. actinomycetemcomitans showed that they were clustered into two groups, T4SS_AaI and T4SS_AaII, with only T4SS_AaI appearing in the Taiwanese subjects.

Conclusion: A. actinomycetemcomitans strains with different serotypes carrying T4SS_AaI are widely distributed in a Taiwanese population. This is the first report to show the distribution and detailed comparative genomics of T4SSs in A. actinomycetemcomitans.

Keywords: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans; Comparative genomics; Serotype; Type IV secretion systems.

MeSH terms

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / classification*
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / genetics*
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / metabolism
Biological Transport / genetics
Dental Plaque / microbiology*
Genome, Bacterial / genetics
Humans
Pasteurellaceae Infections / epidemiology*
Pasteurellaceae Infections / microbiology
Periodontal Diseases / microbiology*
Serogroup
Taiwan / epidemiology
Type IV Secretion Systems / genetics*

Substances

Type IV Secretion Systems