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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Produce Safety and Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #166457
Title: MAJOR STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES AND NOVEL POTENTIAL VIRULENCE MECHANISMS FROM THE GENOMES OF MULTIPLE CAMPYLOBACTER SPECIES

Author
item FOUTS, DERRICK - INST.FOR GENOMIC RES, MD.
item MONGODIN, EMMANUEL - INST.FOR GENOMIC RES, MD.
item Mandrell, Robert
item Miller, William - Bill
item RASKO, DAVID - INST.FOR GENOMIC RES, MD.
item RAVEL, JACQUE - INST. FOR GENOMIC RES. MD
item BRINKAC, LAUREN - INST.FOR GENOMIC RES, MD.
item DEBOY, ROBERT - INST.FOR GENOMIC RES, MD.
item Parker, Craig
item DAUGHERTY, SEAN - INST.FOR GENOMIC RES, MD.

Submitted to: PLoS Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/11/2004
Publication Date: 1/4/2005
Citation: Fouts, D.E., Mongodin, E.F., Mandrell, R.E., Miller, W.G., Rasko, D.A., Ravel, J., Brinkac, L.M., Deboy, R.T., Parker, C., Daugherty, S.C. 2005. Major structural differences and novel potential virulence mechanisms from the genomes of multiple Campylobacter species. PLoS Biology 3(1):e15.

Interpretive Summary: Multiple strains of Campylobacter , an important food pathogen, have been sequenced. A strain of C. jejuni has been fully sequenced and genomes of a single strain each of C. coli, C. lari and C. upsaliensis have been partially sequenced. The sequence data have revealed major differences in the organization of the genomes of the species, including genetic elements and plasmids not known to be present in these species. The data provided will be useful for development of molecular fingerprinting methods, comparative genomics to determine differences between species, identification of metabolic differences and virulence factors and mechanisms of genetic evolution. Information is provided for understanding the genetic variability among species and strains of Campylobacter. This data also provides novel sequence data for development of PCR-based methods for determining the incidence of important genes in many other strains.

Technical Abstract: Comparative genome analysis of four newly sequenced strains of Campylobacter including C. lari RM2100, C. upsaliensis RM3195, and C. coli RM2228, has revealed major structural differences that can be associated with the insertion of phage and plasmid-like genomic islands, as well as major variations in the lipooligosaccharide (LOS) complex. There are variations in poly G tracts that are longer, greater in number, and show greater variability in C. upsaliensis than in the other species. Many virulence proteins including flagellin, racR/S, cadF, cdt, ciaB are conserved across the species, but variations that appear to be species specific are evident for LOS, capsular (extracellular) polysaccharide locus and a novel Campylobacter putative licABCD virulence locus. The strains also have variation in their metabolic profiles, as well as resistance profiles to a range of antibiotics. It is evident that the newly identified hypothetical and conserved hypothetical proteins, as well as uncharacterized two-component regulatory systems and membrane proteins, may hold additional significant information on the major differences in virulence among the species, as well as the specificity of the strains for particular hosts.