Evidence of episodic positive selection in Corynebacterium diphtheriae complex of species and its implementations in identification of drug and vaccine targets.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Within the pathogenic bacterial species Corynebacterium genus, six species that can produce diphtheria toxin (C. belfantii, C. diphtheriae, C. pseudotuberculosis, C. rouxii, C. silvaticum and C. ulcerans) form a clade referred to as the C. diphtheria complex. These species have been found in humans and other animals, causing diphtheria or other diseases. Here we show the results of a genome scale analysis to identify positive selection in protein-coding genes that may have resulted in the adaptations of these species to their ecological niches and suggest drug and vaccine targets.

Methods

Forty genomes were sampled to represent species, subspecies or biovars of Corynebacterium. Ten phylogenetic groups were te

SUBMITTER: Canario Viana MV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8857904 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature