High abundance of virulence gene homologues in marine bacteria
Open Access
- 31 May 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Environmental Microbiology
- Vol. 11 (6), 1348-1357
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01861.x
Abstract
Marine bacteria can cause harm to single-celled and multicellular eukaryotes. However, relatively little is known about the underlying genetic basis for marine bacterial interactions with higher organisms. We examined whole-genome sequences from a large number of marine bacteria for the prevalence of homologues to virulence genes and pathogenicity islands known from bacteria that are pathogenic to terrestrial animals and plants. As many as 60 out of 119 genomes of marine bacteria, with no known association to infectious disease, harboured genes of virulence-associated types III, IV, V and VI protein secretion systems. Type III secretion was relatively uncommon, while type IV was widespread among alphaproteobacteria (particularly among roseobacters) and type VI was primarily found among gammaproteobacteria. Other examples included homologues of the Yersinia murine toxin and a phage-related 'antifeeding' island. Analysis of the Global Ocean Sampling metagenomic data indicated that virulence genes were present in up to 8% of the planktonic bacteria, with highest values in productive waters. From a marine ecology perspective, expression of these widely distributed genes would indicate that some bacteria infect or even consume live cells, that is, generate a previously unrecognized flow of organic matter and nutrients directly from eukaryotes to bacteria.This publication has 49 references indexed in Scilit:
- Molecular characterization of a functional type VI secretion system from a clinical isolate of Aeromonas hydrophilaMicrobial Pathogenesis, 2008
- Bacterial pathogenomicsNature, 2007
- Type VI secretion system translocates a phage tail spike-like protein into target cells where it cross-links actinProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007
- Ecological Genomics of Marine RoseobactersApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2007
- The type III secretion injectisomeNature Reviews Microbiology, 2006
- A Virulence Locus of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Encodes a Protein Secretion ApparatusScience, 2006
- Type III Secretion: More Systems Than You ThinkPhysiology, 2005
- Off the hook – how bacteria survive protozoan grazingTrends in Microbiology, 2005
- Bioinformatics, genomics and evolution of non-flagellar type-III secretion systems: a Darwinian perpectiveFEMS Microbiology Reviews, 2005
- The versatile bacterial type IV secretion systemsNature Reviews Microbiology, 2003