title: Genomic sequence of a Lyme disease spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi.
abstract: The genome of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi B31, the aetiologic agent of Lyme disease, contains a linear chromosome of 910,725 base pairs and at least 17 linear and circular plasmids with a combined size of more than 533,000 base pairs. The chromosome contains 853 genes encoding a basic set of proteins for DNA replication, transcription, translation, solute transport and energy metabolism, but, like Mycoplasma genitalium, it contains no genes for cellular biosynthetic reactions. Because B. burgdorferi and M. genitalium are distantly related eubacteria, we suggest that their limited metabolic capacities reflect convergent evolution by gene loss from more metabolically competent progenitors. Of 430 genes on 11 plasmids, most have no known biological function; 39% of plasmid genes are paralogues that form 47 gene families. The biological significance of the multiple plasmid-encoded genes is not clear, although they may be involved in antigenic variation or immune evasion.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Casjens
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Clayton
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lathigra
authors.forename: O
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authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Ketchum
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dodson
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Hickey
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authors.lastname: Gwinn
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authors.lastname: Dougherty
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Tomb
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Fleischmann
authors.forename: D
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authors.lastname: Richardson
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authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Kerlavage
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quackenbush
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salzberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Vugt
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gocayne
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weidman
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Utterback
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Watthey
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Artiach
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bowman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garland
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fuji
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horst
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hatch
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Venter
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000235:genetics*; D002633:Chemotaxis; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D004260:DNA Repair; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000382:microbiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D018741:Replication Origin; D016615:Telomere; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D008565:Membrane Proteins