Streptococcus suis contains multiple phase-variable methyltransferases that show a discrete lineage distribution.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus suis is a major pathogen of swine, responsible for a number of chronic and acute infections, and is also emerging as a major zoonotic pathogen, particularly in South-East Asia. Our study of a diverse population of S. suis shows that this organism contains both Type I and Type III phase-variable methyltransferases. In all previous examples, phase-variation of methyltransferases results in genome wide methylation differences, and results in differential regulation of multiple genes, a system known as the phasevarion (phase-variable regulon). We hypothesized that each variant in the Type I and Type III systems encoded a methyltransferase with a unique specificity, and could therefore control a distinct phasevarion, either by recombination-driven shuffling between different speci

SUBMITTER: Atack JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6265453 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature