Skewed genomic variability in strains of the toxigenic bacterial pathogen, Clostridium perfringens.
Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive, anaerobic spore-forming bacterium commonly found in soil, sediments, and the human gastrointestinal tract. C. perfringens is responsible for a wide spectrum of disease, including food poisoning, gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis), enteritis necroticans, and non-foodborne gastrointestinal infections. The complete genome sequences of Clostridium perfringens strain ATCC 13124, a gas gangrene isolate and the species type strain, and the enterotoxin-producing food poisoning strain SM101, were determined and compared with the published C. perfringens strain 13 genome. Comparison of the three genomes revealed considerable genomic diversity with >300 unique "genomic islands" identified, with the majority of these islands unusually clustered on one replichore. PCR-based analysis indicated that the large genomic islands are widely variable across a large collection of C. perfringens strains. These islands encode genes that correlate to differences in virulence and phenotypic characteristics of these strains. Significant differences between the strains include numerous novel mobile elements and genes encoding metabolic capabilities, strain-specific extracellular polysaccharide capsule, sporulation factors, toxins, and other secreted enzymes, providing substantial insight into this medically important bacterial pathogen.
Myers
Garry S A
GS
The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA.
Rasko
David A
DA
Cheung
Jackie K
JK
Ravel
Jacques
J
Seshadri
Rekha
R
DeBoy
Robert T
RT
Ren
Qinghu
Q
Varga
John
J
Awad
Milena M
MM
Brinkac
Lauren M
LM
Daugherty
Sean C
SC
Haft
Daniel H
DH
Dodson
Robert J
RJ
Madupu
Ramana
R
Nelson
William C
WC
Rosovitz
M J
MJ
Sullivan
Steven A
SA
Khouri
Hoda
H
Dimitrov
George I
GI
Watkins
Kisha L
KL
Mulligan
Stephanie
S
Benton
Jonathan
J
Radune
Diana
D
Fisher
Derek J
DJ
Atkins
Helen S
HS
Hiscox
Tom
T
Jost
B Helen
BH
Billington
Stephen J
SJ
Songer
J Glenn
JG
McClane
Bruce A
BA
Titball
Richard W
RW
Rood
Julian I
JI
Melville
Stephen B
SB
Paulsen
Ian T
IT
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D001483:Base Sequence; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000235:genetics*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial