title: DNA sequence of both chromosomes of the cholera pathogen Vibrio cholerae.
abstract: Here we determine the complete genomic sequence of the gram negative, gamma-Proteobacterium Vibrio cholerae El Tor N16961 to be 4,033,460 base pairs (bp). The genome consists of two circular chromosomes of 2,961,146 bp and 1,072,314 bp that together encode 3,885 open reading frames. The vast majority of recognizable genes for essential cell functions (such as DNA replication, transcription, translation and cell-wall biosynthesis) and pathogenicity (for example, toxins, surface antigens and adhesins) are located on the large chromosome. In contrast, the small chromosome contains a larger fraction (59%) of hypothetical genes compared with the large chromosome (42%), and also contains many more genes that appear to have origins other than the gamma-Proteobacteria. The small chromosome also carries a gene capture system (the integron island) and host 'addiction' genes that are typically found on plasmids; thus, the small chromosome may have originally been a megaplasmid that was captured by an ancestral Vibrio species. The V. cholerae genomic sequence provides a starting point for understanding how a free-living, environmental organism emerged to become a significant human bacterial pathogen.
authors.affiliation: The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Heidelberg
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Eisen
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Clayton
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gwinn
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Dodson
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Haft
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Hickey
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Umayam
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Read
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tettelin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ermolaeva
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vamathevan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bass
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dragoi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sellers
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Utterback
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Fleishmann
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Nierman
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Salzberg
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Colwell
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mekalanos
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Venter
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Fraser
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001692:Biological Transport; D002771:Cholera / Q000382:microbiology; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D004260:DNA Repair; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial