Project description:Identification of Genes and Genomic Islands Correlated with High Pathogenicity through Tilling Microarray-Based Comparative Genomics in S. suis. Streptococcus suis is an important zoonotic pathogen that can cause meningitis and sepsis in both pigs and humans. S. suis isolates have been categorized into groups of different levels of pathogenicity, with sequence type (ST) ST1 clonal complex strains having a higher degree of virulence than other STs. However, the genetic basis of the differences in pathogenicity is still poorly understood. In this study, a comprehensive genomic comparison of 31 S. suis strains from different clinical sources with the genome sequence of the high pathogenicity (HP) strain GZ1 was conducted using NimbleGen’s tilling microarray platform.
Project description:Streptococcus suis is an important zoonotic pathogen that can cause meningitis and sepsis in both pigs and humans. In this study,we evaluated the genetic difference of 40 Streptococcus suis strains belonging to various sequence types by comparative genomic hybridization to identify genes associated with the variation in pathogenicity using NimbleGen’s tilling microarray platform. Application of Comparative Phylogenomics to Identify Genetic Differences Relating to Pathogenicity of Streptococcus suis
Project description:Investigation of whole genome changes in six serotypes of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in control cultures compared to bacteria grown in media containg the iron chelator 2,2'-dipyridyl.
Project description:Mycoplasma suis belongs to the hemotrophic mycoplasma (HM) that are associated with acute and chronic anemia in a wide range of livestock and wild animals. The inability to culture HMs in vitro has hindered their characterization at the molecular level. Although genome sequences of eight HMs are available, there is only one study based on genome sequenced data on the proteomic level for HMs, namely M. suis. In the present work, the proteome of M. suis strain KI_3806 during acute infection was extended significantly by applying three different protein extraction methods, 1D SDS-PAGE and LC-MS/MS. A total of 404 of the 795 M. suis KI_3806 proteins (50.8%) of all encoded proteins were identified. Data analysis revealed the expression of 83.7% of the predicted ORFs with assigned functions but also highlights the expression of 179 of 523 (34.2%) hypothetical proteins with unknown functions. Computational analyses identified expressed membrane-associated hypothetical proteins that might be involved in adhesion or host-pathogen interaction. Furthermore, analyses of the expressed transporters indicated the existence of a hexose-6-phosphate-transporter and an ECF transporter. In conclusion, our proteome study provides a further step toward the elucidation of the unique life cycle of M. suis and the establishment of an in vitro culture.
