Abstract
BackgroundCorynebacterium aurimucosum is a slightly yellowish, non-lipophilic, facultative anaerobic member of the genus Corynebacterium and predominantly isolated from human clinical specimens. Unusual black-pigmented variants of C. aurimucosum (originally named as C. nigricans) continue to be recovered from the female urogenital tract and they are associated with complications during pregnancy. C. aurimucosum ATCC 700975 (C. nigricans CN-1) was originally isolated from a vaginal swab of a 34-year-old woman who experienced a spontaneous abortion during month six of pregnancy. For a better understanding of the physiology and lifestyle of this potential urogenital pathogen, the complete genome sequence of C. aurimucosum ATCC 700975 was determined.ResultsSequencing and assembly of the C. aurimucosum ATCC 700975 genome yielded a circular chromosome of 2,790,189 bp in size and the 29,037-bp plasmid pET44827. Specific gene sets associated with the central metabolism of C. aurimucosum apparently provide enhanced metabolic flexibility and adaptability in aerobic, anaerobic and low-pH environments, including gene clusters for the uptake and degradation of aromatic amines, L-histidine and L-tartrate as well as a gene region for the formation of selenocysteine and its incorporation into formate dehydrogenase. Plasmid pET44827 codes for a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase that plays the pivotal role in the synthesis of the characteristic black pigment of C. aurimucosum ATCC 700975.ConclusionsThe data obtained by the genome project suggest that C. aurimucosum could be both a resident of the human gut and possibly a pathogen in the female genital tract causing complications during pregnancy. Since hitherto all black-pigmented C. aurimucosum strains have been recovered from female genital source, biosynthesis of the pigment is apparently required for colonization by protecting the bacterial cells against the high hydrogen peroxide concentration in the vaginal environment. The location of the corresponding genes on plasmid pET44827 explains why black-pigmented (formerly C. nigricans) and non-pigmented C. aurimucosum strains were isolated from clinical specimens.
Highlights
Corynebacterium aurimucosum is a slightly yellowish, non-lipophilic, facultative anaerobic member of the genus Corynebacterium and predominantly isolated from human clinical specimens
We present the complete genome sequence and bioinformatics analysis of C. aurimucosum ATCC 700975 (C. nigricans CN-1) to obtain insights into the physiology and lifestyle of this potential urogenital pathogen
Pyrosequencing and annotation of the C. aurimucosum ATCC 700975 genome The complete genome sequence of the clinical isolate C. aurimucosum ATCC 700975 was determined by combining a whole-genome shotgun approach performed by pyrosequencing with a whole-genome scaffold generated by fosmid technology (Fig. 1A)
Summary
Corynebacterium aurimucosum is a slightly yellowish, non-lipophilic, facultative anaerobic member of the genus Corynebacterium and predominantly isolated from human clinical specimens. C. aurimucosum ATCC 700975 (C. nigricans CN1) was originally isolated from a vaginal swab of a 34-year-old woman who experienced a spontaneous abortion during month six of pregnancy. In 2002, Corynebacterium aurimucosum was taxonomically described as new species within the genus Corynebacterium, with C. minutissimum as the nearest phylogenetic neighbour [1,2]. The phylogenetic and molecular taxonomic description was based on two isolates from human clinical specimens, one from an unknown source and one from blood cultures of a patient with bronchitis. C. aurimucosum is a non-lipophilic species, and growth is facultatively anaerobic. The isolation of C. aurimucosum from other human clinical sources has been reported, very rarely. C. aurimucosum 16S rDNA was detected in a bacterial population collected in the entrance area of a clean room environment in the Johnson Space Center [7,8] and in dust samples taken from office rooms in buildings located in central Finland [9]
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