Role of homologous recombination in adaptive diversification of extraintestinal Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: The contribution of homologous exchange (recombination) of core genes in the adaptive evolution of bacterial pathogens is not well understood. To investigate this, we analyzed fully assembled genomes of two Escherichia coli strains from sequence type 131 (ST131), a clonal group that is both the leading cause of extraintestinal E. coli infections and the main source of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli. Although the sequences of each of the seven multilocus sequence typing genes were identical in the two ST131 isolates, the strains diverged from one another by homologous recombination that affected at least 9% of core genes. This was on a par with the contribution to genomic diversity of horizontal gene transfer and point gene mutation. The genomic positions of recombinant and mobile geneti

SUBMITTER: Paul S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3553836 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature