title: Recombination-mediated remodelling of host-pathogen interactions duringStaphylococcus aureusniche adaptation.
abstract: Large-scale recombination events have led to the emergence of epidemic clones of several major bacterial pathogens. However, the functional impact of the recombination on clonal success is not understood. Here, we identified a novel widespread hybrid clone (ST71) of livestock-associatedStaphylococcus aureusthat evolved from an ancestor belonging to the major bovine lineage CC97, through multiple large-scale recombination events with otherS. aureuslineages occupying the same ruminant niche. The recombination events, affecting a 329 kb region of the chromosome spanning the origin of replication, resulted in allele replacement and loss or gain of an array of genes influencing host-pathogen interactions. Of note, molecular functional analyses revealed that the ST71 hybrid clone has acquired multiple novel pathogenic traits associated with acquired and innate immune evasion and bovine extracellular matrix adherence. These findings provide a paradigm for the impact of large-scale recombination events on the rapid evolution of bacterial pathogens within defined ecological niches.
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Spoor
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Amy C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Gillian J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Chriselle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mendonca
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas School for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
authors.forename: Ravi Kr
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: McAdam
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nutbeam-Tuffs
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Nikki S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: O'Gara
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas School for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
authors.forename: Chia Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corander
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ross Fitzgerald
keywords: Staphylococcus aureus; host–pathogen interactions; niche adaptation; recombination; remodelling