title: Whole-genome sequence of Listeria welshimeri reveals common steps in genome reduction with Listeria innocua as compared to Listeria monocytogenes.
abstract: We present the complete genome sequence of Listeria welshimeri, a nonpathogenic member of the genus Listeria. Listeria welshimeri harbors a circular chromosome of 2,814,130 bp with 2,780 open reading frames. Comparative genomic analysis of chromosomal regions between L. welshimeri, Listeria innocua, and Listeria monocytogenes shows strong overall conservation of synteny, with the exception of the translocation of an F(o)F(1) ATP synthase. The smaller size of the L. welshimeri genome is the result of deletions in all of the genes involved in virulence and of "fitness" genes required for intracellular survival, transcription factors, and LPXTG- and LRR-containing proteins as well as 55 genes involved in carbohydrate transport and metabolism. In total, 482 genes are absent from L. welshimeri relative to L. monocytogenes. Of these, 249 deletions are commonly absent in both L. welshimeri and L. innocua, suggesting similar genome evolutionary paths from an ancestor. We also identified 311 genes specific to L. welshimeri that are absent in the other two species, indicating gene expansion in L. welshimeri, including horizontal gene transfer. The species L. welshimeri appears to have been derived from early evolutionary events and an ancestor more compact than L. monocytogenes that led to the emergence of nonpathogenic Listeria spp.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology, Justus-Liebig-University, Frankfurter Strasse 107, D-35392 Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hain
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Steinweg
authors.forename: Carsten Tobias
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Kuenne
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Billion
authors.forename: Rohit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghai
authors.forename: Som Subhra
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: Eugen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Domann
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kärst
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goesmann
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bekel
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bartels
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Folker
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pühler
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weisshaar
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wehland
authors.forename: Chunguang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dandekar
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lampidis
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kreft
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Goebel
authors.forename: Trinad
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
mesh_terms: D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D017353:Gene Deletion; D023061:Gene Order; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D008087:Listeria / Q000235:genetics*; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000235:genetics; D025261:Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D026801:Synteny; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C474451:F1F0-ATP synthase; D025261:Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases