Abstract
The genome of a clinical isolate of Neisseria meningitidis is described. This and other reannotated Neisseria genomes are compiled in a database.
Highlights
Genome sequences, available for most pathogens, hold promise for the rational design of new therapies
The new genome displays all the features typical of N. meningitidis (Table 1). It contains numerous repetitive elements - which have been extensively studied in other sequenced strains [13,14] - the most abundant of which (1,915 copies) is the DNA uptake sequence essential for natural competence. These repeats contribute to genome plasticity, 8013's genome has maintained a high level of colinearity with other N. meningitidis genomes
To illustrate NeMeSys's utility for comparative genomics, rather than trying to identify genes important for meningococcal pathogenesis, which is elusive since several studies have shown that putative virulence genes are found in both clinical isolates and non-pathogenic strains or species such as N. meningitidis α14 and N. lactamica [38,40,41], we looked for 'fitness' genes that might be important for nasopharyngeal colonization
Summary
Available for most pathogens, hold promise for the rational design of new therapies. Biological resources for genome-scale identification of gene function (notably genes involved in pathogenesis) and/or genes essential for cell viability, which are necessary to achieve this goal, are often sorely lacking This holds true for Neisseria meningitidis, one of the most feared human bacterial pathogens that causes meningitis and septicemia. Multiple factors often hinder the effectiveness of these toolboxes in contributing to large-scale unraveling of gene function and/or the design of novel therapies, including: slow growth and complex nutritional requirements (M. genitalium); the fact that many of these species do not cause disease in humans (C. glutamicum, F. novicida); the use of strains for which no accurate genome annotation is available; and the frequent lack of publicly accessible online databases for analysis and distribution of the mutants
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