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Title

Genomic Changes During the Evolution of the Coxiella Genus Along the Parasitism-Mutualism Continuum.use asterix (*) to get italics

Authors

Diego Santos-Garcia, Olivier Morel, Hélène Henri, Adil El Filali, Marie Buysse, Valérie Noël, Karen D. McCoy, Yuval Gottlieb, Lisa Klasson, Lionel Zenner, Olivier Duron, Fabrice VavrePlease use the format "First name initials family name" as in "Marie S. Curie, Niels H. D. Bohr, Albert Einstein, John R. R. Tolkien, Donna T. Strickland"

Year

2023

Picture

Abstract

The Coxiellaceae family is composed of five genera showing lifestyles ranging from free-living to symbiosis. Among them, Coxiella burnetii is a well-known pathogen causing Q fever in humans. This bacterium presents both intracellular (parasitic) and environmental (resistant) forms. Recently, several environmental Coxiella genomes have been reported, among which several have come from intracellular mutualistic symbionts of ticks, termed Coxiella-like endosymbionts. We sequenced two new Coxiella-LE genomes from Dermacentor marginatus (CLEDm) and Ornithodoros maritimus (CLEOmar) ticks, the latter belonging to the C. burnetii lineage. Using these newly sequenced Coxiella-LEs and 43 Coxiellaceae genomes, we conducted comparative genomic and phylogenomic analyses to increase our knowledge of C. burnetii pathogenicity and the emergence of Coxiella-LEs. Results highlight the probably parasitic nature of the common ancestor of the Coxiellaceae. Indeed, the virulence factor Dot/Icm T4 Secretion System is present in most, but not all, Coxiellaceae. Whereas it is part of a putative pathogenic island in C. burnetii, it has been entirely lost or inactivated in Coxiella-LEs, suggesting its importance in pathogenesis. Additionally, we found that a Sha/Mrp antiporter was laterally acquired in the C. burnetii lineage. This antiporter might be involved in alkali resistance and the development of the resistant form that is able to persist in the environment for long periods of time. The Sha operon is eroded or absent in Coxiella-LEs. Finally, we found that all Coxiella representatives produce B vitamins and co-factors indicating a pre-adaptation of Coxiella to mutualism with hematophagous arthropods. Accordingly, the ancestor of C. burnetii and Coxiella-LEs was likely a parasitic bacterium able to manipulate its host cell and to produce vitamins and co-factors for its own use.

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https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12563558.v3, https://itol.embl.de/shared/dsantosgarciaYou should fill this box only if you chose 'All or part of the results presented in this preprint are based on data'. URL must start with http:// or https://

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Keywords

Coxiella; Q fever; endosymbiosis; ticks; pathogenic island; pH homeostasis

Methods that require specific expertise (optional)

NonePlease indicate the methods that may require specialised expertise during the peer review process (use a comma to separate various required expertises).

Thematic fields

Bioinformatics dedicated to microbial studies, Genomic and evolutionary studies, Microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions, Microbial symbiosis

Suggested reviewers - Suggest up to 10 reviewers (provide names and Email addresses). (Optional)

Craig R. ROY - craig.roy@yale.edu, Rahul RAGHAVAN - rahul.raghavan@utsa.edu, Alejandro MANZANO MARIN - PCI Microbiol recommender, Frederik HAMMES - PCI Microbiol recommender, Lucie BITTNER - PCI Microbiol recommender, Thierry DE MEEÛS - PCI Microbiol recommender, Tatiana GIRAUD - PCI Microbiol recommender, Damien MEYER - PCI Microbiol recommender, Laetitia WILKINS - PCI Microbiol recommender, Olivier ZEMB - PCI Microbiol recommender No need for them to be recommenders of PCIMicrobiol. Please do not suggest reviewers for whom there might be a conflict of interest. Reviewers are not allowed to review preprints written by close colleagues (with whom they have published in the last four years, with whom they have received joint funding in the last four years, or with whom they are currently writing a manuscript, or submitting a grant proposal), or by family members, friends, or anyone for whom bias might affect the nature of the review - see the code of conduct

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Submission date

2022-10-27 12:55:14

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