P. Glaser,1
L. Frangeul,1
C. Buchrieser,1
C. Rusniok,1
A. Amend,4
F. Baquero,5
P. Berche,6
H. Bloecker,7
P. Brandt,7
T. Chakraborty,4
A. Charbit,6
F. Chetouani,1
E. Couvé,1
A. de Daruvar,8
P. Dehoux,2
E. Domann,4
G. Domínguez-Bernal,9
E. Duchaud,1
L. Durant,6
O. Dussurget,2
K.-D. Entian,10
H. Fsihi,2
F. Garcia-Del Portillo,11
P. Garrido,9
L. Gautier,8
W. Goebel,12
N. Gómez-López,11
T. Hain,4
J. Hauf,10
D. Jackson,8
L.-M. Jones,3
U. Kaerst,7
J. Kreft,12
M. Kuhn,12
F. Kunst,1
G. Kurapkat,8
E. Madueño,11
A. Maitournam,1
J. Mata Vicente,5
E. Ng,12
H. Nedjari,1
G. Nordsiek,7
S. Novella,9
B. de Pablos,11
J.-C. Pérez-Diaz,5
R. Purcell,1
B. Remmel,8
M. Rose,10
T. Schlueter,8
N. Simoes,1
A. Tierrez,9
J.-A. Vázquez-Boland,9
H. Voss,8
J. Wehland,7
P. Cossart2*
Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne
pathogen with a high mortality rate that has also emerged as a paradigm
for intracellular parasitism. We present and compare the genome
sequences of L. monocytogenes (2,944,528 base pairs) and a
nonpathogenic species, L. innocua (3,011,209 base pairs). We
found a large number of predicted genes encoding surface and secreted
proteins, transporters, and transcriptional regulators, consistent with
the ability of both species to adapt to diverse environments. The
presence of 270 L. monocytogenes and 149 L. innocua strain-specific genes (clustered in 100 and 63 islets,
respectively) suggests that virulence in Listeria results
from multiple gene acquisition and deletion events.
1 Génomique des Microorganismes
Pathogènes,
2 Unité des Interactions
Bactéries-Cellules,
3 Service
d'Informatique Scientifique, Institut Pasteur, 25-28 rue du Dr. Roux,
75724 Paris, France.
4 Institute for Medical
Microbiology, Frankfurterstrasse 107, D-35392 Giessen, Germany.
5 Servicio de Microbiologia, Hospital Ramon y Cajal,
28034 Madrid, Spain.
6 Unité INSERM U411,
Faculté de Médecine Necker-Enfants Malades, 156 rue de
Vaugirard, 75730 Paris, France.
7 Department of Cell
Biology and Immunology, Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische
Forschung (GBF)-Braunschweig, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
8 LION Bioscience AG, Im Neuenheimer Feld 517, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany,
9 Grupo de
Patogénesis Molecular Bacteriana, Departamento Patología
Animal I, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
10 Scientific Research and
Development GmbH, D-61440 Oberursel, Germany.
11 Centro de Biologia Molecular "Severo Ochoa,"
Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
12 TBI-Biozentrum, Lehrstuhl für
Mikrobiologie, Universität Würzburg, D-97074
Würzburg, Germany.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
pcossart{at}pasteur.fr
