Pathogenicity islands and virulence evolution in Listeria.
As in other bacterial pathogens, the virulence determinants of Listeria species are clustered in genomic islands scattered along the chromosome. This review summarizes current knowledge about the structure, distribution and role in pathogenesis of Listeria virulence loci. Hypotheses about the mode of acquisition and evolution of these loci in this group of Gram-positive bacteria are presented and discussed.
Vázquez-Boland
J A
JA
Grupo de Patogénesis Molecular Bacteriana, Unidad de Microbiología e Inmunología, Departamento de Patología Animal I, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain. vazquez@eucmax.sim.ucm.es
Domínguez-Bernal
G
G
González-Zorn
B
B
Kreft
J
J
Goebel
W
W
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D008087:Listeria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000382:microbiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C069761:internalin protein, Bacteria