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OXA-48 is the most common carbapenemase in Enterobacterales in Germany and one of the most frequent carbapenemases worldwide. Several reports have associated blaOXA–48 with a virulent host phenotype. To challenge this hypothesis, 35 OXA-48-producing clinical isolates of Escherichia coli (n = 15) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 20) were studied in vitro, in vivo employing the Galleria mellonella infection model and by whole-genome sequencing. Clinical isolates belonged to 7 different sequence types (STs) in E. coli and 12 different STs in K. pneumoniae. In 26/35 isolates blaOXA–48 was located on a 63 kb IncL plasmid. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) to E. coli J53 was high in isolates with the 63 kb IncL plasmid (transconjugation frequency: ∼103/donor) but low in isolates with non-IncL plasmids (<10–6/donor). Several clinical isolates were both highly cytotoxic against human cells and virulent in vivo. However, 63 kb IncL transconjugants generated from these highly virulent isolates were not more cytotoxic or virulent when compared to the recipient strain. Additionally, no genes associated with virulence were detected by in silico analysis of OXA-48 plasmids. The 63 kb plasmid was highly stable and did not impair growth or fitness in E. coli J53. In conclusion, OXA-48 clinical isolates in Germany are diverse but typically harbor the same 63 kb IncL plasmid which has been reported worldwide. We demonstrate that this 63 kb IncL plasmid has a low fitness burden, high plasmid stability and can be transferred by highly efficient HGT which is likely the cause of the rapid dissemination of OXA-48 rather than the expansion of a single clone or gain of virulence.
Douglasien wurden vor etwa 170 Jahren nach Mitteleuropa eingeführt und von der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jhd. an auch forstwirtschaftlich genutzt. Größere ökonomische Schäden durch phytophage Arthropoden an Douglasienbeständen sind in Mitteleuropa bisher kaum bekannt, auch wenn die Douglasie in der Forstschutzliteratur als Nahrungspflanze für einheimische Insektenarten genannt wird (SCHWERDTFEGER 1981). FÜLDNER & SPORK (2003) untersuchten vergleichend den Entwicklungserfolg von Lymantria monacha Larven auf Douglasie und anderen einheimischen Koniferenarten. Nach diesen Ergebnissen erreichen Nonnenpuppen nach Fütterung der Larven mit Douglasiennadeln nur geringfügig geringere Gewichte als nach Fütterung mit Fichte oder Kiefer. Signifikante Unterschiede traten bei den Puppengewichten der ♀♀ und bei der Larvenmortalität während der gesamten Larvenentwicklung auf. Der Entwicklungserfolg von Insektenlarven ist meist von der Nahrungsqualität abhängig. Hierbei kommt sowohl der Qualität und Konzentration von Nahrungssubstanzen (Kohlehydrate, Proteine, Fett) als auch den sekundären Inhaltsstoffen eine entscheidende Bedeutung zu. Herbivor-Pflanzen-Systeme konnten sich meist evolutiv entwickeln, sodass die Inhaltsstoffe der Pflanze von den entsprechenden Herbivoren effektiv verdaut bzw. entgiftet werden können (STRONG et al. 1984). In Systemen in denen die beiden Partner erst seit kurzer Zeit in einem Gebiet gemeinsam auftreten, wie im System L. monacha – Douglasie, war eine evolutive Anpassung nicht möglich. Zudem kommen in Mitteleuropa seit der letzten Eiszeit keine zur Douglasie nahe verwandte Koniferenarten vor, wodurch eine Präadaptation der Nonne durch Anpassung an sekundäre Inhaltsstoffe nahe verwandter einheimischer Baumarten ausgeschlossen werden kann. Die Abwehr von Herbivoren durch Pflanzen kann auf verschiedene Weisen erfolgen. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wurden zwei Ebenen untersucht: 1) durch Abschreckung (Wahlversuch) und 2) durch Investition in sekundäre Inhaltsstoffe (Fraßversuch). Im zweiten Ansatz wurde getestet, ob die nach FÜLDNER & SPORK (2003) geringfügigen Unterschiede im Entwicklungserfolg mit Unterschieden in den Nadelinhaltsstoffen der beiden Baumarten zu erklären sind.
Causes of maladaptation
(2019)
Evolutionary biologists tend to approach the study of the natural world within a framework of adaptation, inspired perhaps by the power of natural selection to produce fitness advantages that drive population persistence and biological diversity. In contrast, evolution has rarely been studied through the lens of adaptation's complement, maladaptation. This contrast is surprising because maladaptation is a prevalent feature of evolution: population trait values are rarely distributed optimally; local populations often have lower fitness than imported ones; populations decline; and local and global extinctions are common. Yet we lack a general framework for understanding maladaptation; for instance in terms of distribution, severity, and dynamics. Similar uncertainties apply to the causes of maladaptation. We suggest that incorporating maladaptation‐based perspectives into evolutionary biology would facilitate better understanding of the natural world. Approaches within a maladaptation framework might be especially profitable in applied evolution contexts – where reductions in fitness are common. Toward advancing a more balanced study of evolution, here we present a conceptual framework describing causes of maladaptation. As the introductory article for a Special Feature on maladaptation, we also summarize the studies in this Issue, highlighting the causes of maladaptation in each study. We hope that our framework and the papers in this Special Issue will help catalyze the study of maladaptation in applied evolution, supporting greater understanding of evolutionary dynamics in our rapidly changing world.
Biotechnological processes offer better production conditions for a wide variety of goods of industrial interest. The production of aromatic compounds, for example, involves molecules of great value for cosmetic, plastic, agrochemical and pharmaceutic industries. However, the yield of such processes frequently prevents a proper implementtation that would allow the replacement of traditional production processes.
Numerous rational engineering approaches have been attempted to enhance metabolic pathways associated with desired products. Unfortunately, genetic modifications and heterologous pathway expression often lead to a higher metabolic burden on the producing organisms, ultimately leading to reduced production levels and fitness.
This project utilised adaptive laboratory evolution to better understand the development of synthetic cooperative consortia, using S. cerevisiae as a model organism. Specifically, a synthetic cooperative consortium was developed around the exchange of lysine and tyrosine, which was subjected to adaptive laboratory evolution aiming to induce mutations that would improve the system’s fitness either by enhanced production or upgraded stress resistance. Consequently, the mutant strains isolated after the evolution rounds were sequenced to identify relevant variations that could be related to the growth and production phenotypes observed.
The insights derived from this project are expected to contribute to further developing synthetic cooperative consortia with utilitarian purposes.