In silico characterization of defense system hotspots in Acinetobacter spp.

Abstract The bacteria-phage arm race drives the evolution of diverse bacterial defenses. This study identifies and characterizes the defense hotspots in Acinetobacter baumannii using a reference-free approach. Among 4383 high-quality genomes, we found a total of 17,430 phage defense systems and with...

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Main Authors: Wenjing Yi, Ning Zhu, Zhihan Peng, Xiao Chu, Haotian Sun, Lei Song, Zhimin Guo, Arnab Pain, Zhaoqing Luo, Qingtian Guan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-01-01
Series:Communications Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07459-4
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author Wenjing Yi
Ning Zhu
Zhihan Peng
Xiao Chu
Haotian Sun
Lei Song
Zhimin Guo
Arnab Pain
Zhaoqing Luo
Qingtian Guan
author_facet Wenjing Yi
Ning Zhu
Zhihan Peng
Xiao Chu
Haotian Sun
Lei Song
Zhimin Guo
Arnab Pain
Zhaoqing Luo
Qingtian Guan
author_sort Wenjing Yi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The bacteria-phage arm race drives the evolution of diverse bacterial defenses. This study identifies and characterizes the defense hotspots in Acinetobacter baumannii using a reference-free approach. Among 4383 high-quality genomes, we found a total of 17,430 phage defense systems and with 54.54% concentrated in 21 hotspots. These hotspots exhibit distinct preferences for different defense systems, and co-occurrence patterns suggest synergistic interactions. Additionally, the mobile genetic elements are abundant around these hotspots, likely facilitating horizontal transfer and evolution of defense systems. The number of hotspots increases in species phylogenetically closer to Acinetobacter baumannii, but the number of defense systems per hotspot varies due to particular selective pressures. These findings provide critical insights into the genetic organization of phage defense systems, contributing to a broader understanding of bacterial immunity and the evolutionary dynamics that shape Acinetobacter genomes. This knowledge lays the foundation for developing targeted interventions  to combat antibiotic resistance Acinetobacter baumannii.
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spelling doaj-art-efe951b31be24a82ad997556a8fd7e212025-08-20T02:36:41ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-01-018111210.1038/s42003-025-07459-4In silico characterization of defense system hotspots in Acinetobacter spp.Wenjing Yi0Ning Zhu1Zhihan Peng2Xiao Chu3Haotian Sun4Lei Song5Zhimin Guo6Arnab Pain7Zhaoqing Luo8Qingtian Guan9Bioinformatics Laboratory, Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology Center, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityBioinformatics Laboratory, Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology Center, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology Center, State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology Center, State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology Center, State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology Center, State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology Center, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityPathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Biological Sciences, Purdue UniversityBioinformatics Laboratory, Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology Center, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityAbstract The bacteria-phage arm race drives the evolution of diverse bacterial defenses. This study identifies and characterizes the defense hotspots in Acinetobacter baumannii using a reference-free approach. Among 4383 high-quality genomes, we found a total of 17,430 phage defense systems and with 54.54% concentrated in 21 hotspots. These hotspots exhibit distinct preferences for different defense systems, and co-occurrence patterns suggest synergistic interactions. Additionally, the mobile genetic elements are abundant around these hotspots, likely facilitating horizontal transfer and evolution of defense systems. The number of hotspots increases in species phylogenetically closer to Acinetobacter baumannii, but the number of defense systems per hotspot varies due to particular selective pressures. These findings provide critical insights into the genetic organization of phage defense systems, contributing to a broader understanding of bacterial immunity and the evolutionary dynamics that shape Acinetobacter genomes. This knowledge lays the foundation for developing targeted interventions  to combat antibiotic resistance Acinetobacter baumannii.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07459-4
spellingShingle Wenjing Yi
Ning Zhu
Zhihan Peng
Xiao Chu
Haotian Sun
Lei Song
Zhimin Guo
Arnab Pain
Zhaoqing Luo
Qingtian Guan
In silico characterization of defense system hotspots in Acinetobacter spp.
Communications Biology
title In silico characterization of defense system hotspots in Acinetobacter spp.
title_full In silico characterization of defense system hotspots in Acinetobacter spp.
title_fullStr In silico characterization of defense system hotspots in Acinetobacter spp.
title_full_unstemmed In silico characterization of defense system hotspots in Acinetobacter spp.
title_short In silico characterization of defense system hotspots in Acinetobacter spp.
title_sort in silico characterization of defense system hotspots in acinetobacter spp
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07459-4
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