Pherotype Polymorphism in Streptococcus pneumoniae Has No Obvious Effects on Population Structure and Recombination.

ABSTRACT: Natural transformation in the Gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae occurs when cells become "competent," a state that is induced in response to high extracellular concentrations of a secreted peptide signal called competence stimulating peptide (CSP) encoded by the comC locus. Two main CSP signal types (pherotypes) are known to dominate the pherotype diversity across strains. Using 4,089 fully sequenced pneumococcal genomes, we confirm that pneumococcal populations are highly genetically structured and that there is significant variation among diverged populations in pherotype frequencies; most carry only a single pherotype. Moreover, we find that the relative frequencies of the two dominant pherotypes significantly vary within a small range across geographical sites. It has bee

SUBMITTER: Miller EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5629823 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature