Genetics of metabolic variations between Yersinia pestis biovars and the proposal of a new biovar, microtus
Genetics of metabolic variations between Yersinia pestis biovars and the proposal of a new biovar, microtus
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DOI：
10.1128/jb.186.15.5147-5152.2004
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发表时间：
2004-08-01
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Yang, RF
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Zhou, DS;Tong, ZZ;Yang, RF
鼠疫耶尔森菌在历史上被分为三个生物群：安提瓜生物群、中古生物群和东方生物群。在此基础上，提出了来自田鼠相关鼠疫疫源地的菌株构成一个新的生物群--田鼠。根据发酵甘油和阿拉伯糖以及还原硝酸盐的能力，鼠疫耶尔森氏菌可分为四个生物群之一：安提库(甘油阳性、阿拉伯糖阳性、硝酸盐阳性)；Mediavalis(甘油阳性、阿拉伯糖阳性、硝酸盐阴性)；东方鼠疫菌(甘油阴性、阿拉伯糖阳性、硝酸盐阳性)；田鼠(甘油阳性、阿拉伯糖阴性、硝酸盐阴性)。GlpD基因93个碱基的框内缺失导致东方生物群菌株的甘油阴性特性。NapA基因的两种点突变可能分别导致中土鼠和田鼠的硝酸盐还原阴性特征。Arac基因的122个碱基移码缺失可能导致生物群田鼠菌株的阿拉伯糖阴性表型。生物群田鼠菌株具有独特的基因丢失和假基因分布的基因组图谱，这很可能解释了人类对这种新生物群的衰减。对这些特定基因的重点、基于假设的研究将有助于描绘使这种致命病原体对人类具有毒力的决定因素，并深入了解鼠疫杆菌的进化和鼠疫发病机制。此外，这可能对开发生物型田鼠菌株作为一种潜在的疫苗具有重要意义。
Yersinia pestis has been historically divided into three biovars: antiqua, mediaevalis, and orientalis. On the basis of this study, strains from Microtus-related plague foci are proposed to constitute a new biovar, microtus. Based on the ability to ferment glycerol and arabinose and to reduce nitrate, Y. pestis strains can be assigned to one of four biovars: antiqua (glycerol positive, arabinose positive, and nitrate positive), mediaevalis (glycerol positive, arabinose positive, and nitrate negative), orientalis (glycerol negative, arabinose positive, and nitrate positive), and microtus (glycerol positive, arabinose negative, and nitrate negative). A 93-bp in-frame deletion in glpD gene results in the glycerol-negative characteristic of biovar orientalis strains. Two kinds of point mutations in the napA gene may cause the nitrate reduction-negative characteristic in biovars mediaevalis and microtus, respectively. A 122-bp frameshift deletion in the araC gene may lead to the arabinose-negative phenotype of biovar microtus strains. Biovar microtus strains have a unique genomic profile of gene loss and pseudogene distribution, which most likely accounts for the human attenuation of this new biovar. Focused, hypothesis-based investigations on these specific genes will help delineate the determinants that enable this deadly pathogen to be virulent,to humans and give insight into the evolution of Y. pestis and plague pathogenesis. Moreover, there may be the implications for development of biovar microtus strains as a potential vaccine.