Genome sequences of Chlamydia trachomatis MoPn and Chlamydia pneumoniae AR39

• DOI: 10.1093/nar/28.6.1397
• Publication Date: 2002-07-26T18:32:47Z
• Authors: T. D. Read
• Keywords: Recombination, Genetic; 0303 health sciences; Base Sequence; Nucleotides; Molecular Sequence Data; Chlamydia trachomatis; Replication Origin; Chlamydia Infections; Chlamydophila pneumoniae; Physical Chromosome Mapping; 3. Good health; Evolution, Molecular; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; Bacterial Proteins; Genes, Bacterial; Genes, Duplicate; Chromosome Inversion; Animals; Humans; Bacteriophages; Conserved Sequence; Genome, Bacterial

The genome sequences of Chlamydia trachomatis mouse pneumonitis (MoPn) strain Nigg (1 069 412 nt) and pneumoniae AR39 229 853 were determined using a random shotgun strategy. MoPn exhibited general conservation gene order content with the previously sequenced C.trachomatis serovar D. Differences between strains focused on an ~50 kb 'plasticity zone' near termination origins. In this region contained three copies novel encoding >3000 amino acid toxin homologous to predicted from Escherichia coli 0157:H7 but had apparently lost tryptophan biosyntheis genes found in D region. C.pneumoniae chromosome was >99.9% identical CWL029 genome, however, comparative analysis identified invertible DNA segment upstream uridine kinase which different orientations two genomes. also 4524 nt circular single-stranded (ss)DNA bacteriophage, first time virus has been reported infecting C.pneumoniae. Although chlamydial genomes highly conserved, there intriguing differences key nucleotide salvage pathways: for dUTP production, uracil phosphororibosyl transferase, while contains neither gene. Chromosomal comparison revealed that multiple large inversion events since species divergence C.pneumoniae, oriented around axis origin replication striking synteny prevalence tandemly duplicated are evidence minimal rearrangement foreign uptake, presumably owing ecological isolation obligate intracellular parasites. absence genetic analysis, genomics will continue provide insight into virulence mechanisms these important human pathogens.