Unifying themes in microbial associations with animal and plant hosts described using the gene ontology.

ABSTRACT: Microbes form intimate relationships with hosts (symbioses) that range from mutualism to parasitism. Common microbial mechanisms involved in a successful host association include adhesion, entry of the microbe or its effector proteins into the host cell, mitigation of host defenses, and nutrient acquisition. Genes associated with these microbial mechanisms are known for a broad range of symbioses, revealing both divergent and convergent strategies. Effective comparisons among these symbioses, however, are hampered by inconsistent descriptive terms in the literature for functionally similar genes. Bioinformatic approaches that use homology-based tools are limited to identifying functionally similar genes based on similarities in their sequences. An effective solution to these limitations is

SUBMITTER: Torto-Alalibo T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3008171 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature