Structural flexibility in the Burkholderia mallei genome.
The complete genome sequence of Burkholderia mallei ATCC 23344 provides insight into this highly infectious bacterium's pathogenicity and evolutionary history. B. mallei, the etiologic agent of glanders, has come under renewed scientific investigation as a result of recent concerns about its past and potential future use as a biological weapon. Genome analysis identified a number of putative virulence factors whose function was supported by comparative genome hybridization and expression profiling of the bacterium in hamster liver in vivo. The genome contains numerous insertion sequence elements that have mediated extensive deletions and rearrangements of the genome relative to Burkholderia pseudomallei. The genome also contains a vast number (>12,000) of simple sequence repeats. Variation in simple sequence repeats in key genes can provide a mechanism for generating antigenic variation that may account for the mammalian host's inability to mount a durable adaptive immune response to a B. mallei infection.
Nierman
William C
WC
Institute for Genomic Research, 9712 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. wnierman@tigr.org
DeShazer
David
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Tettelin
Herve
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Nelson
Karen E
KE
Feldblyum
Tamara
T
Ulrich
Ricky L
RL
Ronning
Catherine M
CM
Brinkac
Lauren M
LM
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Sean C
SC
Davidsen
Tanja D
TD
Deboy
Robert T
RT
Dimitrov
George
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Dodson
Robert J
RJ
Durkin
A Scott
AS
Gwinn
Michelle L
ML
Haft
Daniel H
DH
Khouri
Hoda
H
Kolonay
James F
JF
Madupu
Ramana
R
Mohammoud
Yasmin
Y
Nelson
William C
WC
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Diana
D
Romero
Claudia M
CM
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Saul
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Selengut
Jeremy
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Shamblin
Christine
C
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Steven A
SA
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Owen
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Yan
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Zafar
Nikhat
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D000818:Animals; D001482:Base Composition / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D042726:Burkholderia mallei / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006224:Cricetinae; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D005896:Glanders / Q000382:microbiology; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D014774:Virulence