Characterization of VPI pathogenicity island and CTXphi prophage in environmental strains of Vibrio cholerae.

ABSTRACT: Environmental isolates of Vibrio cholerae of eight randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprint types from Calcutta, India, that were unusual in containing toxin-coregulated pilus or cholera toxin genes but not O1 or O139 antigens of epidemic strains were studied by PCR and sequencing to gain insights into V. cholerae evolution. We found that each isolate contained a variant form of the VPI pathogenicity island. Distinguishing features included (i) four new alleles of tcpF (which encodes secreted virulence protein; its exact function is unknown), 20 to 70% divergent (at the protein level) from each other and canonical tcpF; (ii) a new allele of toxT (virulence regulatory gene), 36% divergent (at the protein level) in its 5' half and nearly identical in its 3' half to canonical tox

SUBMITTER: Mukhopadhyay AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC99527 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature