title: The pan-genome: towards a knowledge-based discovery of novel targets for vaccines and antibacterials.
abstract: During the past decade, sequencing of the entire genome of pathogenic bacteria has become a widely used practice in microbiology research. More recently, sequence data from multiple isolates of a single pathogen have provided new insights into the microevolution of a species as well as helping researchers to decipher its virulence mechanisms. The comparison of multiple strains of a single species has resulted in the definition of the species pan-genome, as a measure of the total gene repertoire that can pertain to a given microorganism. This concept can be exploited not only to study the diversity of a species, but also, as we discuss here, to provide the opportunity to use a knowledge-based approach for the development of novel vaccine candidates and new-generation targets for antimicrobials.
authors.affiliation: Novartis Vaccines, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muzzi
authors.forename: Vega
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Masignani
authors.forename: Rino
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rappuoli
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000235:genetics*; D016680:Genome, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D037521:Virulence Factors