From genotype to phenotype: can systems biology be used to predict Staphylococcus aureus virulence?
With the advent of high-throughput whole-genome sequencing, it is now possible to sequence a bacterial genome in a matter of hours. However, although the presence or absence of a particular gene can be determined, we do not yet have the tools to extract information about the true virulence potential of an organism from sequence data alone. Here, we focus on the important human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus and present a framework for the construction of a broad systems biology-based tool that could be used to predict virulence phenotypes from S. aureus genomic sequences using existing technology.
Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK.
Nicholas K
NK
Priest
Justine K
JK
Rudkin
Edward J
EJ
Feil
Jean M H
JM
van den Elsen
Ambrose
A
Cheung
Sharon J
SJ
Peacock
Maisem
M
Laabei
David A
DA
Lucks
Mario
M
Recker
Ruth C
RC
Massey
D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000379:methods; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics*
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D037521:Virulence Factors