title: Versatile persistence pathways for pathogens of animals and plants.
abstract: The glyoxylate cycle and the glycine cleavage system are part of conserved metabolic pathways involved in the chronic persistence of microorganisms in animal hosts. In the chromosome of the plant pathogen Rhodococcus fascians, the vic locus has been identified as a region containing genes essential for persistence inside induced leafy galls. Sequence analysis showed that this 18-kb locus is syntenic with chromosomal regions of Mycobacterium species that encompass the 'persistence' loci of these mammalian pathogens. Hence, the ability to switch diet inside the host appears to be governed by 'persistence' enzymes that are conserved between pathogens of animals and plants.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Plant Systems Biology, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, Belgium.
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vereecke
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cornelis
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Temmerman
authors.forename: Marcelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holsters
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goethals
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002952:Citric Acid Cycle; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D017343:Genes, Plant; D006038:Glyoxylates / Q000378:metabolism*; D008322:Mammals / Q000382:microbiology*; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D026801:Synteny / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D006038:Glyoxylates; C031150:glyoxylic acid