title: Genetic variation between Helicobacter pylori strains: gene acquisition or loss?
abstract: Previously identified strain-specific genes of Helicobacter pylori were analysed for GC content and preference in codon usage. The results indicate that in H. pylori strain specificity is mainly driven by gene uptake. Incoming strains of Helicobacter or other species can occasionally donate genes but the identification of the donor species is hampered by ongoing evolutionary processes and the lack of an adequate number, or indeed a total absence, of gene homologues.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Bioquimica i Biotecnologia, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Pl Imperial Tarraco 1, Tarragona, Spain. vallve@quimica.urv.es
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garcia-Vallvé
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: Christos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ouzounis
mesh_terms: D003062:Codon / Q000378:metabolism; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009154:Mutation; D013045:Species Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D003062:Codon