Dynamics and impact of homologous recombination on the evolution of Legionella pneumophila.

ABSTRACT: Legionella pneumophila is an environmental bacterium and the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease. Previous genomic studies have shown that recombination accounts for a high proportion (>96%) of diversity within several major disease-associated sequence types (STs) of L. pneumophila. This suggests that recombination represents a potentially important force shaping adaptation and virulence. Despite this, little is known about the biological effects of recombination in L. pneumophila, particularly with regards to homologous recombination (whereby genes are replaced with alternative allelic variants). Using newly available population genomic data, we have disentangled events arising from homologous and non-homologous recombination in six major disease-associated STs of L. pneumophila (sub

SUBMITTER: David S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5507463 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature