Unique physiological and pathogenic features of Leptospira interrogans revealed by whole-genome sequencing.
Leptospirosis is a widely spread disease of global concern. Infection causes flu-like episodes with frequent severe renal and hepatic damage, such as haemorrhage and jaundice. In more severe cases, massive pulmonary haemorrhages, including fatal sudden haemoptysis, can occur. Here we report the complete genomic sequence of a representative virulent serovar type strain (Lai) of Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae consisting of a 4.33-megabase large chromosome and a 359-kilobase small chromosome, with a total of 4,768 predicted genes. In terms of the genetic determinants of physiological characteristics, the facultatively parasitic L. interrogans differs extensively from two other strictly parasitic pathogenic spirochaetes, Treponema pallidum and Borrelia burgdorferi, although similarities exist in the genes that govern their unique morphological features. A comprehensive analysis of the L. interrogans genes for chemotaxis/motility and lipopolysaccharide synthesis provides a basis for in-depth studies of virulence and pathogenesis. The discovery of a series of genes possibly related to adhesion, invasion and the haematological changes that characterize leptospirosis has provided clues about how an environmental organism might evolve into an important human pathogen.
Ren
Shuang-Xi
SX
Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai, 250 Bi Bo Road, Zhang Jiang High Tech Park, Shanghai 201203, China.
Fu
Gang
G
Jiang
Xiu-Gao
XG
Zeng
Rong
R
Miao
You-Gang
YG
Xu
Hai
H
Zhang
Yi-Xuan
YX
Xiong
Hui
H
Lu
Gang
G
Lu
Ling-Feng
LF
Jiang
Hong-Quan
HQ
Jia
Jia
J
Tu
Yue-Feng
YF
Jiang
Ju-Xing
JX
Gu
Wen-Yi
WY
Zhang
Yue-Qing
YQ
Cai
Zhen
Z
Sheng
Hai-Hui
HH
Yin
Hai-Feng
HF
Zhang
Yi
Y
Zhu
Gen-Feng
GF
Wan
Ma
M
Huang
Hong-Lei
HL
Qian
Zhen
Z
Wang
Sheng-Yue
SY
Ma
Wei
W
Yao
Zhi-Jian
ZJ
Shen
Yan
Y
Qiang
Bo-Qin
BQ
Xia
Qi-Chang
QC
Guo
Xiao-Kui
XK
Danchin
Antoine
A
Saint Girons
Isabelle
I
Somerville
Ronald L
RL
Wen
Yu-Mei
YM
Shi
Man-Hua
MH
Chen
Zhu
Z
Xu
Jian-Guo
JG
Zhao
Guo-Ping
GP
D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000235:genetics; D002633:Chemotaxis; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D007921:Leptospira interrogans / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
D008070:Lipopolysaccharides