1/5
African S. Typhimurium ST313 has 23 Lineage 2-specific pseudogenes, discovered by @DrRobKingsley in 2009, inc ybjZ.

But what is function?

In collab with Jared Honeycutt @monack_lab, we've discovered that MacB (YbjZ) influences pathogenesis of ST313

https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1008763

2/5
Genomes of 285 S. Typhimurium isolates revealed lineage-specific SNPs = macA & macB are pseudogenes

Suggesting that MacAB-TolC efflux pump is functional in S. Typhimurium ST19, but defective in ST313 Lineages 1 & 2

3/5
Beautiful expts designed by Jared Honeycutt & @monack_lab show MacA variant & truncated MacB protein made ST19 sensitive to C18G antimicrobial peptide

& the ST313 macAB SNPs reduced intra-macrophage replication & fitness in murine GI tract

See @monack_lab tweet for details

4/5
Degradation of function of MacAB-TolC efflux pump in African @Salmonella ST313 lineages = convergent evolution

? This new adaptation linked to ability to cause systemic disease #iNTS in immunocompromised people

#PLOSPathogens @LivUni_IVES @LivUni

https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008763

5/5
We're proud of our collab with @monack_lab

Invaluable contributions from #MolecularMicrobiologists in HintonLab: Nico Wenner, @yan_salsa @implosian & @knalsal

Thanks to @wellcometrust for funding & to @MlwTrust

Graphic by @eliza_coli
#SciArt #Microbiology #scicomm