Genome-wide analysis of group a streptococci reveals a mutation that modulates global phenotype and disease specificity.

ABSTRACT: Many human pathogens produce phenotypic variants as a means to circumvent the host immune system and enhance survival and, as a potential consequence, exhibit increased virulence. For example, it has been known for almost 90 y that clinical isolates of the human bacterial pathogen group A streptococci (GAS) have extensive phenotypic heterogeneity linked to variation in virulence. However, the complete underlying molecular mechanism(s) have not been defined. Expression microarray analysis of nine clinical isolates identified two fundamentally different transcriptomes, designated pharyngeal transcriptome profile (PTP) and invasive transcriptome profile (ITP). PTP and ITP GAS differed in approximately 10% of the transcriptome, including at least 23 proven or putative virulence factor genes. I

SUBMITTER: Sumby P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1354197 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature