title: Complete genome sequence of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus containing a heterogeneic staphylococcal cassette chromosome element.
abstract: Staphylococcus aureus is a common human bacterium that sometimes becomes pathogenic, causing serious infections. A key feature of S. aureus is its ability to acquire resistance to antibiotics. The presence of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) element in serotypes of S. aureus has been confirmed using multiplex PCR assays. The SCC element is the only vector known to carry the mecA gene, which encodes methicillin resistance in S. aureus infections. Here, we report the genome sequence of a novel methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strain: SCC-like MSSA463. This strain was originally erroneously serotyped as methicillin-resistant S. aureus in a clinical laboratory using multiplex PCR methods. We sequenced the genome of SCC-like MSSA463 using pyrosequencing techniques and compared it with known genome sequences of other S. aureus isolates. An open reading frame (CZ049; AB037671) was identified downstream of attL and attR inverted repeat sequences. Our results suggest that a lateral gene transfer occurred between S. aureus and other organisms, partially changing S. aureus infectivity. We propose that attL and attR inverted repeats in S. aureus serve as frequent insertion sites for exogenous genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China.
authors.forename: Dezhi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yanan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Lufeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Xingang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xumin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: J Kenneth
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Baillie
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zhancheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D044404:Genomic Islands / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010802:Phylogeny; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004279:DNA, Viral; C101640:MecI protein, Staphylococcus; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C487789:mecA protein, Staphylococcus aureus; C101641:mecR1 protein, Staphylococcus aureus