Neisseria meningitidis has acquired sequences within the capsule locus by horizontal genetic transfer.

ABSTRACT: Background: Expression of a capsule from one of serogroups A, B, C, W, X or Y is usually required for Neisseria meningitidis ( Nme) to cause invasive meningococcal disease. The capsule is encoded by the capsule locus, cps, which is proposed to have been acquired by a formerly capsule null organism by horizontal genetic transfer (HGT) from another species. Following identification of putative capsule genes in non-pathogenic Neisseria species, this hypothesis is re-examined. Methods: Whole genome sequence data from Neisseria species, including Nme genomes from a diverse range of clonal complexes and capsule genogroups, and non- Neisseria species, were obtained from PubMLST and GenBank. Sequence alignments of genes from the mening

SUBMITTER: Clemence MEA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6619384 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature