title: Genomic sequences of six botulinum neurotoxin-producing strains representing three clostridial species illustrate the mobility and diversity of botulinum neurotoxin genes.
abstract: The whole genomes for six botulinum neurotoxin-producing clostridial strains were sequenced to provide references for under-represented toxin types, bivalent strains or unusual toxin complexes associated with a bont gene. The strains include three Clostridium botulinum Group I strains (CDC 297, CDC 1436, and Prevot 594), a Group II C. botulinum strain (Eklund 202F), a Group IV Clostridium argentinense strain (CDC 2741), and a Group V Clostridium baratii strain (Sullivan). Comparisons of the Group I genomic sequences revealed close relationships and conservation of toxin gene locations with previously published Group I C. botulinum genomes. The bont/F6 gene of strain Eklund 202F was determined to be a chimeric toxin gene composed of bont/F1 and bont/F2. The serotype G strain CDC 2741 remained unfinished in 20 contigs with the bont/G located within a 1.15Mb contig, indicating a possible chromosomal location for this toxin gene. Within the genome of C. baratii Sullivan strain, direct repeats of IS1182 insertion sequence (IS) elements were identified flanking the bont/F7 toxin complex that may be the mechanism of bont insertion into C. baratii. Highlights of the six strains are described and release of their genomic sequences will allow further study of unusual neurotoxin-producing clostridial strains.
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Translational Sciences Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, United States. Electronic address: theresa.j.smith.civ@mail.mil.
authors.forename: Theresa J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States.
authors.forename: Karen K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States.
authors.forename: Brian T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Foley
authors.affiliation: Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, United States.
authors.forename: Charles H D
authors.initials: CHD
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.affiliation: Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, United States.
authors.forename: Jeffrey T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States.
authors.forename: Shannon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chertkov
authors.affiliation: Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States.
authors.forename: Hazuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Teshima
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Division, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010, United States.
authors.forename: Henry S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Division, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010, United States.
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Johnsky
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Division, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010, United States.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Karavis
authors.affiliation: Medical Countermeasures Technology, United States Army Medical Research and Material Command, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, United States.
authors.forename: Leonard A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D001905:Botulinum Toxins / Q000235:genetics*; D003013:Clostridium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005516:Food Microbiology; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal / Q000235:genetics*; D016680:Genome, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D001905:Botulinum Toxins
keywords: Botulinum neurotoxin; Clostridium argentinense; Clostridium baratii; Clostridium botulinum