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A genomic survey of positive selection in Burkholderia pseudomallei provides insights into the evolution of accidental virulence.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Nandi, T; Ong, C; Singh, AP; Boddey, J; Atkins, T; Sarkar-Tyson, M; Essex-Lopresti, AE; Chua, HH; Pearson, T; Kreisberg, JF; Nilsson, C ...
Published in: PLoS Pathog
April 1, 2010

Certain environmental microorganisms can cause severe human infections, even in the absence of an obvious requirement for transition through an animal host for replication ("accidental virulence"). To understand this process, we compared eleven isolate genomes of Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp), a tropical soil microbe and causative agent of the human and animal disease melioidosis. We found evidence for the existence of several new genes in the Bp reference genome, identifying 282 novel genes supported by at least two independent lines of supporting evidence (mRNA transcripts, database homologs, and presence of ribosomal binding sites) and 81 novel genes supported by all three lines. Within the Bp core genome, 211 genes exhibited significant levels of positive selection (4.5%), distributed across many cellular pathways including carbohydrate and secondary metabolism. Functional experiments revealed that certain positively selected genes might enhance mammalian virulence by interacting with host cellular pathways or utilizing host nutrients. Evolutionary modifications improving Bp environmental fitness may thus have indirectly facilitated the ability of Bp to colonize and survive in mammalian hosts. These findings improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of melioidosis, and establish Bp as a model system for studying the genetics of accidental virulence.

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Published In

PLoS Pathog

DOI

EISSN

1553-7374

Publication Date

April 1, 2010

Volume

6

Issue

4

Start / End Page

e1000845

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Virulence
  • Virology
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice
  • Melioidosis
  • Genome, Bacterial
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
 

Citation

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Nandi, T., Ong, C., Singh, A. P., Boddey, J., Atkins, T., Sarkar-Tyson, M., … Tan, P. (2010). A genomic survey of positive selection in Burkholderia pseudomallei provides insights into the evolution of accidental virulence. PLoS Pathog, 6(4), e1000845. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000845
Nandi, Tannistha, Catherine Ong, Arvind Pratap Singh, Justin Boddey, Timothy Atkins, Mitali Sarkar-Tyson, Angela E. Essex-Lopresti, et al. “A genomic survey of positive selection in Burkholderia pseudomallei provides insights into the evolution of accidental virulence.PLoS Pathog 6, no. 4 (April 1, 2010): e1000845. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000845.
Nandi T, Ong C, Singh AP, Boddey J, Atkins T, Sarkar-Tyson M, et al. A genomic survey of positive selection in Burkholderia pseudomallei provides insights into the evolution of accidental virulence. PLoS Pathog. 2010 Apr 1;6(4):e1000845.
Nandi, Tannistha, et al. “A genomic survey of positive selection in Burkholderia pseudomallei provides insights into the evolution of accidental virulence.PLoS Pathog, vol. 6, no. 4, Apr. 2010, p. e1000845. Pubmed, doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000845.
Nandi T, Ong C, Singh AP, Boddey J, Atkins T, Sarkar-Tyson M, Essex-Lopresti AE, Chua HH, Pearson T, Kreisberg JF, Nilsson C, Ariyaratne P, Ronning C, Losada L, Ruan Y, Sung W-K, Woods D, Titball RW, Beacham I, Peak I, Keim P, Nierman WC, Tan P. A genomic survey of positive selection in Burkholderia pseudomallei provides insights into the evolution of accidental virulence. PLoS Pathog. 2010 Apr 1;6(4):e1000845.

Published In

PLoS Pathog

DOI

EISSN

1553-7374

Publication Date

April 1, 2010

Volume

6

Issue

4

Start / End Page

e1000845

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Virulence
  • Virology
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice
  • Melioidosis
  • Genome, Bacterial
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique