Comparative Genomics Reveals the Diversity of Restriction-Modification Systems and DNA Methylation Sites in Listeria monocytogenes.
Poyin ChenHenk C den BakkerJonas KorlachNguyet KongDylan B StoreyEllen E PaxinosMeredith AshbyTyson ClarkKhai LuongMartin WiedmannBart C WeimerPublished in: Applied and environmental microbiology (2017)
Listeria monocytogenes is the causative agent of listeriosis, a disease which manifests as gastroenteritis, meningoencephalitis, and abortion. Among Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, and Listeria-causing the most prevalent foodborne illnesses-infection by L. monocytogenes carries the highest mortality rate. The ability of L. monocytogenes to regulate its response to various harsh environments enables its persistence and transmission. Small-scale comparisons of L. monocytogenes focusing solely on genome contents reveal a highly syntenic genome yet fail to address the observed diversity in phenotypic regulation. This study provides a large-scale comparison of 302 L. monocytogenes isolates, revealing the importance of the epigenome and restriction-modification systems as major determinants of L. monocytogenes phylogenetic grouping and subsequent phenotypic expression. Further examination of virulence genes of select outbreak strains reveals an unprecedented diversity in methylation statuses despite high degrees of genome conservation.
Keyphrases
- listeria monocytogenes
- genome wide
- dna methylation
- escherichia coli
- biofilm formation
- copy number
- gene expression
- antimicrobial resistance
- poor prognosis
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- single cell
- staphylococcus aureus
- risk factors
- cystic fibrosis
- binding protein
- cardiovascular disease
- long non coding rna
- klebsiella pneumoniae