title: Comparative genome hybridization of Streptococcus mutans strains.
abstract: The basis for genotypic and phenotypic variation within Streptococcus mutans is poorly understood but the availability of the genome sequence of strain UA159 provides an opportunity for comparative studies. Genomic DNA prepared from nine strains of S. mutans was used to probe a microarray consisting of oligonucleotides representing 1948 open reading frames of S. mutans UA159. A total of 385 (20%) of the UA159 open reading frames were found to be absent from one or more of the test strains. Absent open reading frames frequently occurred in blocks of adjacent open reading frames and represented regions previously experimentally detected by polymerase chain reaction, predicted genomic islands and insertion sequence elements as well as novel open reading frames. Approximately half appear to involve foreign DNA acquired by horizontal transmission. The results indicate the existence of distinct core and dispensable genomes and may help explain the phenotypic and genotypic variation within S. mutans.
authors.affiliation: Oral Biology, School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Waterhouse
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Swan
authors.forename: R R B
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000235:genetics; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D017353:Gene Deletion; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D044404:Genomic Islands; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization / Q000379:methods; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010731:Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System / Q000235:genetics; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013045:Species Specificity; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001430:Bacteriocins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D010731:Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System