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The Genome Sequence of Rickettsia felis Identifies the First Putative Conjugative Plasmid in an Obligate Intracellular Parasite.
- Source :
- PLoS Biology; Aug2005, Vol. 3 Issue 8, p1391-1402, 12p
- Publication Year :
- 2005
-
Abstract
- We sequenced the genome of Rickettsia felis, a flea-associated obligate intracellular α-proteobacterium causing spotted fever in humans. Besides a circular chromosome of 1,485,148 bp, R. felis exhibits the first putative conjugative plasmid identified among obligate intracellular bacteria. This plasmid is found in a short (39,263 bp) and a long (62,829 bp) form. R. felis contrasts with previously sequenced Rickettsia in terms of many other features, including a number of transposases, several chromosomal toxin-antitoxin genes, many more spoT genes, and a very large number of ankyrin- and tetratricopeptide-motif-containing genes. Host-invasion-related genes for patatin and RickA were found. Several phenotypes predicted from genome analysis were experimentally tested: conjugative pili and mating were observed, as well as β-lactamase activity, actin-polymerization-driven mobility, and hemolytic properties. Our study demonstrates that complete genome sequencing is the fastest approach to reveal phenotypic characters of recently cultured obligate intracellular bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15449173
- Volume :
- 3
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- PLoS Biology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 17922010
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030248