Genomic and Experimental Evidence Suggests that Verrucomicrobium spinosum Interacts with Eukaryotes.

ABSTRACT: Our knowledge of pathogens and symbionts is heavily biased toward phyla containing species that are straightforward to isolate in pure culture. Novel bacterial phyla are often represented by a handful of strains, and the number of species interacting with eukaryotes is likely underestimated. Identification of predicted pathogenesis and symbiosis determinants such as the Type III Secretion System (T3SS) in the genomes of "free-living" bacteria suggests that these microbes participate in uncharacterized interactions with eukaryotes. Our study aimed to test this hypothesis on Verrucomicrobium spinosum (phylum Verrucomicrobia) and to begin characterization of its predicted T3SS. We showed the putative T3SS structural genes to be transcriptionally active, and that expression of predicted effect

SUBMITTER: Sait M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3196152 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature