title: Size and homology of the genomes of leprosy-derived corynebacteria, Mycobacterium leprae, and other corynebacteria and mycobacteria.
abstract: The genomes of Mycobacterium leprae and leprosy-derived corynebacteria (LDC), which have a similar base composition of guanine + cytosine 56 mol %, have been compared with those of reference bacteria of the CMN group (genera Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, Nocardia). Genome sizes of three LDC strains were (1.2-2.5) x 10(6) base pairs. DNA from four of seven LDC strains examined had homology levels greater than 60%. Two other strains had a homology of 40% when compared with the CMN strains and one strain was distinctly different. The DNA from all seven LDC strains gave 0.3-18% hybridisation with that of M. leprae, 5-16% with reference corynebacteria, 5-12% with M. bovis, and 2-8% with Nocardia caviae. The small size of the LDC genome and its unrelatedness to those of M. leprae and organisms of the CMN group shows the uniqueness of LDC.
mesh_terms: D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D007918:Leprosy / Q000382:microbiology*; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000235:genetics; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D009615:Nocardia / Q000235:genetics; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial